As part of my very popular series of legal FAQ, I now address a question that I get asked very frequently: it’s about the possibility to get naturalized as a German citizen without living in Germany.

Please note that this only concerns very special cases. For a general overview of German citizenship law, please read these FAQ. Before asking a new question, please read through the comments which may already answer your questions. And do you see the “Donate” button on the top right of your screen? If you found these FAQ useful or if you ask a question, it would be very nice if you make use of it.

1. Can I become a German citizen without living in Germany?

Yes. There are several possibilities to do so: (1) you may already have German citizenship due to German descent, (2) re-instatement of previously lost citizenship, (3) adoption by a German citizen as a minor, and (4) naturalization in accordance with § 14 StAG. These FAQ only deal with naturalization from abroad, the other options are covered in another FAQ.

2. What are the requirements to get naturalized as a German citizen without living there?

You have to meet all the normal criteria for naturalization. Only the requirement of residence in Germany (typically between 3 and 8 years) will be waived if you can show “ties to Germany that justify your naturalization”. I will cover these requirements in the following paragraphs.

3. Do I need to speak German?

Yes. This is an essential requirement, so don’t even apply before you have reached at least the B1 level in German. Because you would be applying for a naturalization which you are not entitled to but which is in the discretion of the German government, a higher level of German would be even better.

4. How do I show my ties to Germany?

There are many ways to prove these ties, and the more ways in which you can show your ties, the better is your case: marriage to a German citizen, employment by a German company, longer and frequent visits to Germany, ownership of real estate in Germany for your personal use, ownership of a business in Germany, contributions to the German pension system, visits of German schools or universities, academic interest in Germany and anything else that you can think of.

5. What are the other requirements?

The same as with a naturalization within Germany: (1) You need to be able to support yourself financially without recourse to welfare. Because you would be eligible to move to and live in Germany, you need to show that you could also earn a living in Germany. (2) You shouldn’t have a criminal record. Traffic tickets pose no problem. (3) You need to pass the citizenship test. It’s a multiple choice test about life in Germany, the German constitution and things like the colours of the flag. You get 33 questions, of which you have to correctly answer 17 within a maximum of 60 minutes. You can take this test at a German consulate or of course on one of your visits to Germany. All the possible questions are online, so it’s easy to prepare yourself.

6. Do I need to give up my existing citizenship?

Usually yes. Germany unfortunately does not believe in dual citizenship and thus requires applicants for naturalization to give up their previous citizenship. There are however plenty of exceptions, but that’s the topic of a different set of FAQ.

7. When do I need to fulfil these criteria?

You need to meet these and the other criteria at the time of the application. Because you decide when you apply, you can really prepare yourself for such an application, even if it may take a couple of years. If you book a personal consultation, I will assess your situation and your personal circumstances and suggest several ways in which you can improve your chances. Of course I will also be happy to help writing your application essay.

Once you will receive German citizenship, you don’t need to prove anything anymore. You can also keep German citizenship if you never take up residence in Germany. Even if you would subsequently become dependent on welfare or commit crimes, your German citizenship cannot be withdrawn.

8. How is this option connected to German citizenship by descent?

It shouldn’t be connected at all, because citizenship by descent and naturalization are two completely different matters. But Germany now uses this naturalization according to § 14 StAG to rectify an old problem: Children who were born to a German mother and a non-German father before 1975 often did not receive German citizenship by descent. This obvious discrimination against the maternal line of descent is now being rectified by allowing these children to apply for naturalization under this clause. The difference to completely foreign applicants is that this group of applicants do not need to give up their primary citizenship. Also, if you have minor children they will usually be naturalized as well.

9. Do you have some special trick that you want to share with us?

Always. If you work in the Iranian nuclear programme for example and you are ready to disclose certain information to the German Intelligence Service, your application will be viewed very favourably.

498 Responses to FAQ on naturalization in Germany from abroad

I clicked on personal consulation, it came up empty. Say my Dad was born in the Sudetanland, now CZ, CZ sent him to E Germany after the war when they expelled all the Germans. He escaped, made it to W Germany, and then to the US to join his Father. He gave up citizenship (Czech as it was listed) at 18 in favor of US. Odds of him being able to get German citizenship back? I suggested to him to go to a Rathaus in DE near the border of CZ as they may be more familiar. Thoughts?

If your father had German citizenship at the time of his naturalization in the US, then he lost it in the process (§ 25 I StAG). If he had Czech citizenship, it depends on Czech law what happened to that.
§ 13 StAG allows the re-instatement of a previously lost German citizenship, but if this application is made from abroad, the requirements detailed above apply, including the requirement to give up his US citizenship.

Yes, exactly, wanna get German Citizenship, then give up US Citizenship. Tough choice for some, but it’s a fair deal. Although I would not want to become a citizen of Germany if I am not planning to live there. Another thing is when you are a born citizen and live elsewhere but keep your native citizenship. Or those who have EU country’s citizenship, then they automatically can live in Germany, I suppose, without the need to get German citizenship. Is that correct?

Yes, any EU citizenship is as good as the other. I have German citizenship for example, but I have lived in the UK, in Malta, in Lithuania and am about to move to Italy. Without any need of a residence permit, no paperwork, nothing.
That’s why I personally would prefer the citizenship of any EU country over that of the USA, because it allows you to live in 28 countries, among them beautiful places like Croatia. And the number of countries who are members will probably grow.

let me know please i am pakistani national and my father is german national holder. i am living with my father in uk since 5 yaers, and i did not move frm uk to germany, i am 23.5 years old, i want german nationality on the behalf of my father. can i apply german nationality, if yes then guide me please.
tell me plz where i can contact with u face to face in uk birmingham.
kindly send me email.
i shall be thankfull to you

Can you clarify something on point number 4? If I’m showing my ties to Germany, what colours does Germany prefer – the gold, red, and black, or something more neutral? :D
(My apologies for being a wise-acre. You may delete this if you wish. I’ll find a more appropriate place to annoy you. ;) )

I always thought it odd that under the rule of Emperors (Kaiser), who were usually thought of as hugely rich, the top colour was white. Yet in the period without monarchy, a “pure” rule time which should reflect the purity of the colour white, it became gold instead. (We’ll just kinda bounce over that whole “red and black” period. Schickelgruber had LOUSY taste in design – among MANY other things. ;) )

I have read your blog with great interest.
You will have to tell me what is your favourite cigar or maybe i will have to tempt you with some good South African wine.
My great grandfather died the 4 May 1934 in East London South Africa
His South African death notice says he was German born in Germany.
According to the shipping records when he arrived in South Africa in MAY 1878 on a ship called Papa from Hamburg with his parents and siblings he was 9 years old.

my grandfather was born is south africa in 1895 died 1974
my father was born in 1928 in south africa died 1993
i was born in south africa in 1965

I have contacted the German embassy in Cape Town south africa with regards to obtaining German citizenship by means of a German bloodline Jus sanguinis.

The reason for doing this is that members of the German embassy frequent my restaurant and the topic of heritage and where we come from came up. One of the embassy workers on hearing my family history convinced me to look into my German bloodline and he said that if i had a direct male line to Germany then it would be easy to obtain German citizenship albeit the paperwork between Germany and south africa might take some time.

I subsequently spent many hours in the various archives looking up my family history which was very interesting for me.
When i took all the information i had gathered to show my bloodline Jus sanguinis to the embassy Cape Town ( this was an informal meeting at the embassy) they came up with a curve-ball which was…….
pss the curve ball greater than what gomez would shoot

My great great grandfather would have had to register at a German mission in south africa to have been able to retain his citizenship back in the late 1800’s.
of course if he had retained this citizenship then it would be ok
The only problem is that there was no official German mission or offices in south africa that i can find.
I have contacted the German embassy in Pretoria and they are adamant that there were no official German offices in south africa until the mid 1930s.
by then my great great grandfather was dead and his tombstone reads ‘ Hier ruhet in Gott”

So therefore my conundrum which maybe you can help me (for those cigars or south african wine)

Do you think they are messing me around or would i by some chance have an entitlement to German citizenship?

Ps my great grandfather and father were fluent in german and ich spreche ein bischen

Why would you want to move to Germany? South Africa is such a beautiful country, I lived there for a year and half of Western Cape are now related to me… I wish I could move down there again. I was born the same year as you.

i think as you have mentioned before. To have the joy of freedom of movement without having the constrains of visa restrictions. Cape town is beautiful and i don’t think i am going to move soon.:) or maybe ever. Where did you stay and how long ago were you here. Probably time for a new visit. Well i am in june. Do u think there is any hope? me getting the right to travel?

I lived in 1997-98 in Cape Town in Khayelitsha, Bonteheuwel, Mannenberg… just joking… I was at Pinelands, Mowbray, Bishopscourt, Table View. Yet I’ve had been to all the “dangerous” areas as well, many times, even at night. I enjoyed the sound of helicopters and cars chasing and machine gun fire at night, sometimes hitting walls of my house in Mowbray. Love the drive to Knysna. Never been to JHB. They said not worth it. You can get a EU passport if you try really hard. I got one. Also got one for the USA. I’d love to live in ZA if I had some business opportunity there. Never been to a more beautiful country than Suid-Afrika. Perhaps Japan? China? Brazil? What countries can you visit visa-free with a ZA Passport?

This is Shania from Hong Kong, You’re so generous and resourceful.
Thank you so much for sharing so much useful information here really!

May I ask more about the non-EU naturalisation application…
Does the years of obtaining student visa (studying a M.A degree program in Germany) be also counted into the “3-8 years” requirement of residence in Germany?

I’m learning Germany in my living place now, If i obtain above B2 german language level when i’m in Germany, will it help shorten the time a bit?

Last question is, I saw it said people who earn 44800 euro in Germany annually will get Blue Card, is it also a standard for naturalisation, or it is ok to get a job lower than that 44800 euro a year if I want to apply?

Hello Shania,
1) Yes, the time that you spend in Germany as a student will count. It is also no problem if you receive a scholarship or other student support, as this is not considered welfare.
2) Yes, the better your German skills, the better your chances.
3) No, the income level for the Blue Card is higher than the one for citizenship. For citizenship you can earn much less, as long as you can show that you can pay all of your expenses. Thus it also depends a bit on where in Germany you live. If you move to an area with lower rent prices, a lower income will suffice.

Hi Andreas,
As I’m still researching about the issue “if studying time counts. Most of the sites I’ve been reading they still mentioned that residence permit for purpose of studying does not meet the requirement?
“In order to be entitled to acquire German citizenship, you have to be in possession of a settlement permit or a special residence permit. As a general rule, the residence permit must have been granted for a reason that normally forms the basis of permanent residence. Thus a residence permit for the purpose of studying or for humanitarian reasons does not meet this requirement.” – http://www.migrationsrecht.net/european-immigration-migration-law/citizenship-german-nationality-through-naturalisation.html

This does NOT concern the time requirement, but the type of residence permit you will hold at the end of the 8 years.
I assumed that you wouldn’t study for 8 years, but would by then be in employment or self-employed or have a business.

For my bachelor it would take me 4 years and also another 2 years for Master, I have the Auffenhaltstitel annually so im not sure the type of my residence permit. hmm…
At the moment Im self-funding and I will get a parttime job soon or so but is that having employment (tax paying) is a plus for the applying process?
And do i have to NOT leave Germany at all for 8 years? :-/ could i like travel or visit home in a short time or so?
Thank you so much,

thank you for the reply, so helpful! I’ve did some researches and I got to know that after my education i would have to get a job in my field (aka pay tax) and start paying for retirement insurance for 60 months to get “unbefristet Beschäftigung”, then i can start to apply for citizenship after. Is that true? Cause I work in graphics design and it’s quite usual to change after the trying out time or working freelance so im a bit confuse how would that gonna be with the paper work. thank you thank you again and looking forward to hearing from you as always.

“This does NOT concern the time requirement, but the type of residence permit you will hold at the end of the 8 years.
I assumed that you wouldn’t study for 8 years, but would by then be in employment or self-employed or have a business.”

Let’s say, I study a Bachelor Degree in Germany for 3.5 years then Master Degree for another 1.5 years. Got B2 in German Language. (wikipedia says B2 in german reduce the period from 8 to 6 years) Got a job after graduate.
So its 3.5+1.5 = 5 years + 1 more year working = 6 years. If its this scenario, will I be getting the citizenship after 6 years?

hi Andreas,
I’m planning to study a bachelor degree in Germany next year.
1-I may study for 5 or 6 years in Germany and I wanted to know what are the requirements to get the German citizenship fast.
2- I also want to have dual citizenship but I don’t know if i really can.
Because my parents are not German and as you said, ” Germany unfortunately does not believe in dual citizenship and thus requires applicants for naturalization to give up their previous citizenship. There are however plenty of exceptions”
so what are these exceptions?

Hello Andreas,
thank you for all info posted here. Short question: in order to get the citizenship are requested 8 years. These years should without break in De? I have 4 years now, will move next year in other country, but I am quite sure I will return.

Hi Moser,
Thanks for very useful information.
I have a question regarding naturalisation in Germany.
I am from Singapore and I lived in Germany for six years (2006-2012). I have PhD from German University and then moved to UK from mid 2012. currently I have job offer with good salary from Germany. so I am thinking of moving back to Germany from mid 2013. Is it possible to count the six years (2006-12) for the 8 year requirement to naturalization? or I need to stay for next eight years in Germany to get German passport? is it possible for fast track naturalisation procedure with BLUE card?
Thanks in advance for your info.

Thanks Moser for immediate reply.
last question before I stop bothering you.
I am gud in German and can easily clear B1.
so in principal if I move back to Germany with a job, I can get citizen ship in 2-3 years?
Thanks for StAG document (I googled it and is very useful)

Hello Andeas,
I have come across your website in google search for my einbürgerung. I have reacently applied for Citizenship and submitted all the documents,but at the end the case worker said that as my certificates are not form Germany and all in English she asked me to pay 350€ for the verification of my certificates. Is it normal in the case of Einbürgerung. Please let me know.
Thanks,
BK

Sounds like a silly request to me. If you have already been living in Germany for a while, you probably have a residence permit. In order to issue that residence permit, the Ausländerbehörde had to check your identity and whether you are married already. So it’s not like they have any doubt about the authenticity of the documents.

I would ask them how they could issue you a residence permit based on the same papers without any problems, and what which of these documents they doubt. If they have a doubt about your birth certificate for example, they can call the city in India which issued the birth certificate.

Hello Andreas,
Thanks for the reply. Even I found it to be silly, but they said that it is different for different cases, could you advise me what to question them regarding my process for naturalization.

Dear Andreas,
Thank you so much for your very helpful and insightful presentation.
I really only have one question concerning the points 2 and 4 above.
My situation, in brief:
US citizen, living in Jordan, married, 60 years old.
As a young man, aged 14, I moved with my parents to Hamburg in 1968 and attended Gymnasium there. Since that time my periods of residence in Germany have been a patch work of different locations (Hamburg, Loerrach, Heidelberg) and times. I’ve calculated the total of my German residence permits to be 18,4 years (as recorded in my passports).
I’m fluent in German, studied psychology in Vienna, theology in Basel (both in German), and linguistics in Strasbourg (in French, Dr. phil). I’ve been in Jordan for 24 years and teach christian theology in Arabic.
Since 1986 I’ve been employed by the “Deutsche Missionsgemeinschaft” (in Sinsheim) and have paid into the German welfare system, as I now continue to do.
I think I fulfill all the requirements to apply for German naturalisation according to your presentation, except living the last 6 to 8 years uninterruptedly in German.
Do you think this will be a problem?
Thank you in advance for your advice on this matter.
Robert

Thank you so much for your information. I’ve been wondering about the law that seemed discriminatory towards children born of a German Mother and American Father, since I was born in 1965. What was that law about anyway? And I think you said the law changed, can I now apply? Unfortunately, I don’t speak German due to not seeing my mother since I was three.

I have one question:
I’m Lebanese and been married to a German Citizen for 2 years and already obtained my A1 certificate and applied for the residency visa. My question is how do I apply for the German Reispass and is B1 enough? I heard there is something called orientierungkurse need to take for one month and then there is an exam if I pass I only need that paper to get the passport?! please advise.

Yes, B1 is enough. The Orientierungskurs or Integrationskurs is a course about life in Germany. If you live in Germany, you are entitled to take part in these courses for a nominal fee or no fee at all.

Hey Andreas,
Thank you so much for this page. It really helps. I have a question i cleared University and been here for 7 years now. While i was studying i was working part time and even now after i cleared am stilling working at the same place. I want to apply for a German passport and i dont know if i quaify or should i look for a fulltime job even though have 2 Jobs and can pay my Bills.
Another question if i get married outside Germany a church wedding even though am not German then later on i get German passport will my marriage be recognised???. And what if i got marriage when am already a German citizen but still not in Germany is it recorgnized ???
I will appreciate your help.

You should be fine with the part-time jobs that you have. The requirement is that you can provide your own income without recourse to welfare. If you show that you have consistently been able to pay your rent and that you have health insurance, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Because these threads tend to get very long, I would like to keep the different legal questions separate. I will be happy to put up a list of FAQ on marriage in Germany. All I ask for is that someone mails me one of the books from my wishlist to do so.

Hello,
Very helpful blog. I married an EU citizen last April and I currently live in Lebanon while my husband lives in Qatar for work. Do I need to wait 3 yrs before I can get a job in Germany? I currently do not have a job in Lebanon, but will it help me if I also work while waiting for my German citizenship?

Sorry about that. He is a Dutch citizen, and I was told that I can obtain German citizenship since both countries are EU members. From what I understand I have to wait for 3 yrs marriage before I can obtain a permit or certificate for me to work in Germany.

Actually, it’s an arranged marriage. He’s my cousin (my father and his mother are siblings) and we share the same last name. We just did this so I can obtain German citizenship. (I already have a “green card” because I’ve stayed in Germany for 6 months and have relatives there).

Shirin’s question is really in the wrong place as this trhead is about naturalisation.

But it’s worth noting that POTENTIALLY she has lots of rights to work and live in Germany, but these rights are under DIrective 2004/38.

They are derived rights.

In other words they are derived from the Dutch spouse’s right to freedom of movement. She would be what is known as a ‘third country national with a derived right of residence under the Treaty.

However .. tn the circumstances she describes, the rights are — at this time — fairly thin, because the EU national does not appear to have any form of residence (primary or secondary) in Germany.

But the rights coud be made real by taking certain actions that are her your control (not in the discretion of bureaucrats) and then she can rely on them.

Essentially, provided the husband can effectively take up a residence in Germany she CAN get a job and live in Germany (in fact in any EU country except Holland) under EU rights (Note that EU law applies in all States except the country of his nationality).

This could even be so if her husband works abroad PROVIDED you establish a genuine residence in the EU country for both of you.

If the EU spouse has no connection to the EU country and never comes home to the family apartment, that would almost certainly raise some difficulties and it is quite likel the right would not arise. Do, nonetheless, bear in mind that in Germany things are often proved by having the right certificates from the right office (“mehr Schein als sein?”).

Ssome EU countries would fairly relaxed about this as they want to encourage people to work there (e.g. the Baltic states who are suffering depopulation of skilled workers to other EU states) while on the other hand some countries try to discourage even entitled EU nationals (e.g. the UK) and give third country spouses a hard time.

Germany’s approach seems to be somewhat in the middle, as far as I can see.

So, in practice

1. Can your spouse establish a residence in Germany? (Get a flat, register at the Einwohnermeldeamt)
.
2. Can you (the family) support yourself without reference to the German social security system. (i.e. show he is either a jobseeker, has a job, or is economically self-sufficient)?

3. Do you have medical insurance. (Easily arranged).

It’s easy enough, but requires some effort to tick all the boxes, and spending some time (not just a few days holiday) in Germany.

I lived in Germany for a while in 1993, had a German boyfriend for a number of months and got pregnant. I moved back to Canada before my baby was born because of a breakdown of the relationship. My daughter is now 20, and is very interested in living and working in Germany someday. Can she get German citizenship to be allowed to live and work there? She was born in canada but I did not put her German father’s name on the Canadian birth certificate at the time, just left it as “unknown” because I was afraid he might want to come and try to take her. We believe he would sign whatever is needed to help her out, we are just not sure what it is we have to do. Can you offer some suggestions to get started, thanks.

Your daughter will need to officially establish her father’s paternity, either by him declaring an official affidavit of paternity or by getting a court order. As you assume that he is cooperative, the first option is of course much more preferable.

I will soon put up a separate FAQ on establishing paternity under German law.

Thank you so much for such a fast reply :)
I have one more question, how does he declare the official affidavit of paternity? Can he do this in Germany and send us whatever we will need to apply from canada?
Thank you

Hi, According to the law number 14 StAG it is mentioned that german nationailty can be obtained from abroad, if rules of law number 8 StGA and 9 StGA are verified.
When i had a look on Law number 8 StGA, i found that it is written that the applicant has his/her own appartment or place to live in Germany.
Is that means, that the applicant iwho is livining outside Germany, has to have also a flat ( own or rented) in Germany, to be able to apply for the citizinship? Even he lives abroad?

Because the § 14 naturalization is a discretionary naturalization, it does of course help if you already have a property or a place to live in Germany.
But it’s actually not a requirement. In these cases, the requirement is understood to mean that you have sufficient income or funds to be able to live in Germany if you move there.

I was born in 1949 in the US. My Mother was a German Citizen at the time and my father an American. I have many family members in Germany and can speak and understand German at B1. My mother is 87 and very ill. I am interested in obtaining German citizenship so I can travel and stay for longer lengths of time with my German cousins. I am 65, retired and have my own income and health insurance. I am only interested in maintaining my German heritage. My father is also of German heritage so I feel very much German. Do you think there might be an avenue for me to gain citizenship. Thank you, Linda

My x wife is German
We have been Married for about 3 years now.
We moved to England as soon as we got married at this point in time I had no residence permit in Germany.
I am a non EU citizen.
We have a daughter who is 4 years old, She is German
I got my residence permit for Germany April 2013, since then I have been living in Germany till date.
My level of German is A1, but looking to achieve B2
I have completed the integration course as well

My Question is:

1) Does the 2 years of marriage for naturalization still count even though my wife and I are now divorced ?

2) Would I have to wait for six years before I can apply for German citizenship ?

Thank you for this write up. My wife and I have been trying to get more information about gaining German residency or citizenship for me ( NON- EU). Just a general brief about our situation.

My wife ( German citizen ) and I got married in Germany in 2010 but we do not live In Germany since we were both working abroad.

Since our marriage; we have been working in Qatar and are now in Cyprus; we do visit Germany every year without fail since my mom in law lives in Koeln.

My currently have a 5 year residency permit from Cyprus ( Greek controlled ) but we are thinking of moving to Germany since it has been hard for me to get a job since the Cyprus economy is quite bad. My wife has been the sole income earner since our arrival in Cyprus.

I have a B1 certificate from Geothe Institute. Will all this; what in your professional opinion are my chances to either get permanent residency or citizenship in Germany.

Can you also kindly advise me your fees if we decide to apply for citizenship from Cyprus.

Thank you for your prompt answer Andreas. Yes…my wife and I will both move together to Germany. With regards to the residency; will I get the non settlement residency or the settle residency in your opinion. Thanking you in advance.

I presume that s.28 AufenthG contains the right of a German to have their spouse live with them in Germany?

There’s also another right in this sort of case.

It’s under EU law (2008/38/EC), and it’s an exception to the normal rule that an EU-national spouse is not entitled to the benefit of EU free movement law.

Becuase you lived together in a residence in an EU Member State OTHER than the state of the spouse’s nationality, you would be entitled to the same EU law free movement rights in Germany that you would be entitled to in all the other EU states.

This is called a ‘Surinder Singh’ case, after the name of the person who established the right in the European Court of Justice.

Hallo Andreas,am really greatful for what you do here truly its a blessing to have you. I have lived in Germany for the last 7 years but under student-visa. I graduated last year and i got a full-time job but not in the field of what i studied, i also have a 400Euro basis job of the field i studied . I need to change my Aufenthalterlaubnis since am still under paragraph 16 for student-visa, but am afraid to go to the auslaenderbehoerde for the fear of what if they deny me the visa with the grounds i need a full time job of what i studied. can i be able to change my visa with the job i have even though its full time but not in the field i studied or for me to be able to change my visa title i need to get a job of my field?.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Because this thread on naturalization is already getting quite long, I’d like to keep questions about visas and residence permits separate. I’ll put up a separate set of FAQs as soon as somebody mails me one of the books from my wishlist to motivate me.

But as you have been living in Germany for 7 years already, you might want to consider applying for German citizenship if you fulfil the language requirement.

Hallo Andreas thanks for quick reply. Well i would consider applying for the German citizenship but i need to change my visa first coz i still have a studentvisa. If i know how i can change it to paragraph 18 then i would apply for the citizenship. my wish is also to apply for the citizenship.

I am Egyptian with 2 kids and I am getting married to a German. We will not be living in Germany would the kids get the German citizenship if I get mine? (Considering the above mentioned requirements, German literacy, exam, etc.)

It’s possible, but it’s not automatic. Naturalization according to § 14 StAG requires strong ties to Germany, and it’s usually harder for children to have formed these ties. As a minimum, they would be required to go to German schools and speak German.

I came here in Germany 2 years before with my wife and daughter as a Asylum Seeker from Pakistan. Now after 2 years our asylum case is passed and we have got Aufenthaltserlaubnis for 3 years. My other family members lives in the UK and we want to go to the UK and live with them. My questions are:
1. I have read that refugees can apply for nationality after 6 year of legal continued residence. Is our time as asylum seekers also includes as legal residence.
2. How many minimum years or months we have to work without welfare help to get citizenship.
3. I have read that if one from husband or wife is capable of getting citizenship and apply it, his or her dependents can get citizenship without fulfilling other requirements like not have to stay in Germany for 8 or 6 years. What other requirements can be avoided. Is language course B1 and no welfare help also includes this.

I am hungarian citizen living in germany since 2011 but legally started working , paying insurance, etc from 2012 ..
My question is how long do i need to live in germany to nutrealise for german citizenship ?? I have no problem with my german language ability .
Thanks for your answer in advance

Well it appears from the info from your blog that my hopes for a dual citizenship are not possible. I was born in West Germany to American parents living as ex-pats in Germany. My parents lived in Frankfurt for 26 years. When I turned 18, I was presented with a document to choose my nationality. I was too young to understand what to do and did not really understand the options, so I kept my American passport rather than give it up. Back then, the US did not accept dual citizenships.

I took 14 years of German (a little rusty now, but fixable). I was hoping to be able to run my business and live in both the US and the EU. Not sure that is possible now. I have a professional friend – a photographer – who is German, now living here five years with two passports. She told me it was easy especially if my birth certificate states West Germany. All I had to do was go to a consulate. Hmmmmm….

Andreas – I am a US Citizen but first generation American. Both my mother and father immigrated to the US as young adults. All my relatives live in Germany on both sides… Do I qualify to get German Citizenship? If yes, can you tell me if there is a qualified, trustworthy company that helps with this process?

I can’t say for sure because you didn’t mention when you were born and what citizenship your parents held at the time of your birth, but I strongly suspect that you will find the answer to your question in my more general FAQ on German citizenship law.

There is no need to get any company involved. It’s usually a waste of money, as they wouldn’t do anything that you can’t do yourself.

Andreas — I was born in 1966 in US. My mother got her US Citizenship in the late 70’s.. so she was a German citizen when I was born. My father also immigrated but my mother does not remember when he got his US citizenship – if it was after we where born or before since as a German he worked with the US military. He died when I was 4.

The answer is in no. 8 of the above FAQ. You qualify for naturalization without living in Germany and without having to give up your US citizenship. Typically, the language test is one of the biggest hurdles. But then you can work on your German, as there is no time limit for you to apply.

I am applying for a German Passport for my son who was born in South Africa, father is German however – I was married for 5 years to his father who lives in Berlin and is married again. Can I apply for a German passport for myself as well?

Hi, I have been married for 20 years, my husband is German but did not grow up in Germany he does however have German citizenship, my three sons also have German citizenship even though they have never lived in Germany. We are currently living in Norway. So my question is this, if I learnt to speak German would I be able to apply for German citizenship even though I am not living in Germany? Thanks for your time!

As mentioned in the FAQ above, speaking German very well is a minimum requirement. In addition to that, you would need to show very close ties to Germany (as a country, not to your German family members).

Hi Andreas Moser,
Its me Rimal from Essen. I am living in Germany since 8.5 years. I completed my Bachelor in Electical Engineeing from Germany in German medium. Right now i am doing Master in Electrical Engineering and working 20 hrs per week at Electrical company, ABB Group in Germany. I have contributions to the German pension system since last 63 monthe. I am financing my self since i came to Germany, no welfare has taken.

My question is, can you please suggest me about naturalization of Citizenship in Germany. How much possibility do you see that i am qualified to apply for German citizenship? How much chance do you see in my case ?

My Visa is going to expire by coming july. There is no problem in further extension. But i am thinking if i am qualified on naturalized citizen in Germany, then i should apply.

It sounds like you meet all the requirements. You would still need to pass a citizenship test and provide proof that you speak German at least at the B1 level. With your experience, I assume that this should not be any problem.

Hello Andreas, thank you for all the information, I live abroad and my husbands is German citizen working directly with the Government. How long do you think it will take me for getting the citizenship after applying? We have 8 years marriage and good knowledge of German language. Thank you.

Hi Andreas,
My husband has German citizenship because his mother was German, although he was born and lives in the U.S. We’re considering moving to Europe. Will I be able to apply for German citizenship from the U.S.? I have never been to Germany and I do not speak German.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and advice.

My husband has recently got the German Citizenship with my new baby born. He now has an entsendung for two years to Dubai from his German company.
I have been living in Germany for a year and have passed the Integration Kurs exams (B1 level and Orientierung). The ausländerbehörde luckily told us that these two years will be counted for my citizenship. However, they refused to give me a bestätigung for two years when they knew my passport will finish in a year and a half. They gave me a bestätigung for one year only meaning I have to come next year to apply again for the residency.

How can I apply again for residency if my husband will have to do abmeldung in Germany before leaving?

If we can’t, will this year of residency at least be counted for me later on when we come back?
What do you think?

Unfortunately, I still have a year and half validity :)
I contacted my embassy and being a Syrian citizen, I can only renew my passport when I have 6 months of validity.

As for my child, he has the German citizenship but he is coming with us.

Two more questions please:

1) You said that this is the easiest way, what difficult options do I have?
We thought of coming again next year to do anmeldung for one month only because we can’t afford paying taxes for a whole year, that would be too much…do you think this is possible? We are just not sure it would work.

2) I hope I understood correctly, I have read your previous responses and learned that years of residence are usually counted even when a residence permit is over and later renewed. Is this true in all cases?

Oh, I misunderstood the situation at first. I thought your husband will go to Dubai and you and your son will remain in Germany.

1) You can actually return with your son only. As he is a German citizen, he can come to Germany anytime, you can get him registered and you can stay with him even if your husband is not there (§ 28 I Nr. 3 AufenthG). This way your husband would not have to pay any taxes in Germany.

2) Yes, § 12b II StAG states that up to 5 years of previous residence are counted towards the residency requirement for obtaining German citizenship.

As to the time that you spend in Dubai, usually your residence in Germany is interrupted if you leave for more than 6 months (§ 12b I 1 StAG). If you wish to stay away longer and have it count towards residence, you need the permission by the Ausländerbehörde according to § 12b I 2 StAG, which is hopefully what you received. In this case, you can stay in Dubai for the year that they permitted and you only need to come back towards the end of that year, apply for a new Syrian passport and renew the permit for another year. Then you can join your husband in Dubai again.

I am very sorry about the situation in Syria. Actually I am not only sorry, but really angry that the world is not doing anything to support what started as a peaceful revolution against the dictatorship of Bashar Assad. They waited for a few years and now use the presence of Islamists as an excuse, although these Islamists might never have shown up (or become so influential) if we had helped the people in Syria earlier.

I have actually been to Syria once, but only for a few days in Damascus. I have very fond memories of the old city and of Umayyad Mosque. I have always wanted to return to Syria and it makes me angry to see how much of it will be destroyed when/if this conflict will be over.

Happy to know there are still humans out there who have feelings at all towards whats happening.
Exactly! As you said, they waited then found an excuse.
Or perhaps waited for the excuse to be well cooked…isn’t that politics?

It is devastating for me to see my country’s human resources and its great heritage being destroyed. As if the scenario was perfectly planned by the regime from the beginning especially with the emergence of so called ‘Daesh’ Group.
I keep wondering why the regime keeps bombing and shelling civilians and rebels but never bombs Daesh! On the other hand, Daesh slaughters civilians or rebels but nothing significant is done against the regime. What coincidence is that?

Wherever the truth is, I personally find it ironic the way the Regime feels comfortable to use ‘Islamists’ (in a country of muslim majority) as a scarecrow to people and the International Community. More ironic is that the international community doesn’t feel embarrassed to use it as an excuse. Again, it is politics. No shame whatsoever :)

As for your visit to Damascus, the old city in Damascus is actually the most interesting in it. If you have seen it already then you haven’t missed seeing much elsewhere.
Unless u decide to live in it, Damascus really has a very ambiguous charm and a unique lifestyle to experience. You are talking to an admiring local.

Yet, Syria in general has much to see. Aleppo, Latakia, Palmyra, Daraa, Idlib, Homs..etc.
All of them are interesting but unfortunately easy access to charming places has not been developed in the last 40 years. Not to mention the sad destruction we have now as you posted in your link.

Anyway, there is always hope. You are a citizen of a country that got destroyed after a world war. As a believer in Divine Justice, I know oppressors don’t stay for long.
Thus, I will reserve your right to contact me anyway whenever things get better :)

I think I know what you mean about Damascus. It was really a stark contrast between the old city and the new city. I tried to spend as much time as possible in the old city. :-)

I wanted to go to Palmyra and had even managed to get a bus ticket (with the help of a friendly customer of the travel agency who could translate), but then I overslept the next morning and missed the bus. :-(

I asked you about my residency permit last year and the years that count towards nationalization from abroad. I had a couple of problems then and you gave me a great solution that advised I can go back to germany again this year with my 1 year old german baby, register him and renew my residency without the need for my husband to be with me. You told me that this way my husband will not have to pay taxes from abroad. SInce it’s only his baby who he registered in Germany and not personally him.

My problem now is that my husband is very hesitant to make this step because he is not 100 % sure that the Finanzamt will not charge taxes on him in case of the registration of his son.

Is there any law reference clearly stating that no taxes are charged on the father in this case. Who do you think I should ask to make sure? My husband is also asking if we need a lawyer for this, can you hold this case and sell us your time and efforts?

We would also be very happy to have you as a guest in Dubai if you ever passed by and needed a residence.

My husband and i are American. My daughter and son were born in 1993 and 1995 in Heidelberg Germany . My husband moved to Germany with his family when he was 15 (his father was a contractor with the United States) He was not in the military. My husband ended up working for a German company and was a resident in Germany, holding a residency and work permit when my children were born. Do my children qualify for German Citizenship? My husband and i no longer live in Germany , however he is still with the same company after all these years he just works for the American side of the company now.
Thank you for your help,
Rhonda

Your children might have qualified for German citizenship based on their birth in Germany (see no. 4 of my general FAQ on German citizenship), but the deadline for them to apply ended in the year 2000 (§ 40b StAG).
That leaves your children with the option of naturalization if they meet all the criteria outlined in the FAQ above.

By chance I landed in your blog when I was looking for naturalisation in Germany. In the 10 FAQ page you mentioned, ‘For the spouse of a German citizen, this requirement is usually 3 years (of which you need to have been married for the last 2 years).’

My German husband and I (non-EEA national) is now residing in the UK since 2008. Previously I was a student studying at a university in Germany for 5 years (2002 – 2007) with a student visa and spouse visa. The degree I did at university was taught in English but did my German language course before studying in Germany up to C1 level (obtained in 2002). In 2005 we were married (not in Germany) but the marriage certificate is recognised through “Apostille” and was accepted by the local town hall where we used to live in Germany. In 2008 we moved together from Germany to the UK. My question now is, can I naturalise as a German through “marriage”? Can this be applied outside Germany, e.g. the UK?

I am a bit concerned as I am not sure that 3 years residence requirement – whether or not I must have been married for 3 years or it could count before marriage?

If you apply for naturalization from outside of Germany, it is completely up to the discretion of the immigration authority. There is no specific time required, but you will have to show extremely close ties. In your case, you may be asked to show that you have closer ties to Germany than to the UK despite living there.

Given the time you have been living in the UK, it might be easier to apply for naturalization in the UK.

Was wondering if you could answer a question, I am a dual citizen from birth as my mother is a German citizen and my father an American citizen. My mother has always told us that my children will be a dual citizen as well, but my grandchildren would not. I cannot seem to find any documentation online that proves or disproves that. I have a 2 year old and currently pregnant, am planning on making a trip to the German mission (consulate) after his birth to see what I need to do to renew my passport and get them set up, but until then thought I would throw the question out there and see what sort of answers I get.

First of all, your grandchildren’s citizenship will depend on the laws that will be in place when they will be born. That sounds like it’s very far in the future, so the laws may change a lot. Secondly, it will also depend on the citizenship of the other parent (which nobody knows yet) and on where the child will be born (which nobody knows yet).

Based on current German citizenship law, if the German parent was born outside of Germany in the year 2000 or later and gives birth outside of Germany, then German citizenship is not passed on automatically (§ 4 IV 1 StAG). This could apply if one of your children will ever have children.

They will be able to avoid the fate of losing German citizenship if they register the birth with the German consulate within one year after the birth (§ 4 IV 2 StAG). Make sure they don’t forget that!

I ‘m living in Germany with my wife and 2 kids. I came to Germany on study visa and then after my study finished and I got the Job and then in Oct 2012 I got German nationality. My wife came to Germany in September 2009, she is still Indian national (we married in India and she came to Germany on family reunion visa ). My both kids are also German national. We also bought a house in Germany.

Now due a project my employer is sending me to Poland for 3 years assignment with family. It is not problem for me and my kids because of German nationality. My wife has German residence visa till march 2015. My employer will arrange residence permit of Poland for my wife (India national).

My wife is preparing to get B1 German certificate, so that she can apply for German nationally. But still she don’t have B1 certificate, so she can’t apply. Now if we shift to Poland, can she still apply for German nationally? As we will leave German residence for 3 years (we will still keep our house in Germany and will visit frequently). We are afraid that after 3 years assignment, when we will come back to Germany, she again need to wait 3 years before she can apply for Germany nationality .

What are best options for her to get German nationally? Which rule will apply for her? Any help really appreciated.

The time that your wife already stayed in Germany will still count, despite the interruption: § 12b II StAG. Therefore she won’t start at 0 when you will return to Germany.

So you have two options:
– She can wait until you will return to Germany and apply then.
– Or she could try to use § 14 StAG and apply for German citizenship while you live in Poland.

Because the second option requires very strong ties to Germany and is only granted by discretion, and because you know that you will return to Germany in 3 years, I would probably go for the first option. Of course it would be useful for your wife’s chances if she uses the time to learn German and get the required certificates, maybe even higher than the B1. Depending on where you live in Poland, there will be a Goethe Institute or you might even find locals who speak German.

And If she try § 14 StAG (as her husband (I) and kid are German, we have house in Germany and she lived in Germany long time), in your opinion, usually how long this option takes for decision? And if she apply and get -ve decision, does this will have any impact on other options, like first option you described.

As we will keep our house in Germany and visit frequently, is this possible that she keep her residency further in Germany and also get her visa extended from Germany (so called hauptwohnsitz und nebenwohnsitz).

Using § 14 StAG usually takes a long time. That’s why I wouldn’t recommend it here. There is no point in trying it before your wife has a very high standard of German (preferably higher than B1), so it might take some time still anyway, and by then you will soon return to Germany.

I also thought of the option of your wife keeping her residence in Germany, but I don’t know where in Poland you will move to and if that would be feasible. You cannot have a Nebenwohnsitz in Germany if your Hauptwohnsitz is abroad, so your wife would really need to remain in Germany (or at least pretend to).

i just want to add, i will be on expats contract, so this means that even i will go to Poland (exactly Krakow), i will still get my partial salary in Germany and i will pay the social security, pension, etc further in Germany and also in Poland (my company will manage it)…

Does she need the permission by the Ausländerbehörde according to § 12b I 2 StAG before we go to Poland? As her Visa is only valid for march 2015, Can she come back to Germany and apply again for extension of visa with Ausländerbehörde before it is expired?

Can ausländerbehörde give us presmission that these three years will be counted for my wife’s citizenship? should they give us in written form?

You could also ask for the Ausländerbehörde’s permission before your move to Poland. However, I am not sure they will grant it for 3 years. (The typical cases of § 12b I 2 StAG are students who go abroad for a year.) But there is no harm in asking.

The Ausländerbehörde won’t provide any guarantee on citizenship, they can only give your wife a waiver from the 6-month rule in § 12b I 1 StAG. But the rule on citizenship is in the Citizenship Act, § 12b II, so there is no need to get a document about it.

Krakow unfortunately is too far to pretend that you are still living in Germany.

One other thing which might work is this: you all move to Krakow, but simply retain the registration in Germany. Because Poland and Germany are both in Schengen, the immigration authorities will never know where you really are. If you still receive a salary in Germany and pay into the German social security system, nobody might notice. (And nobody will look at it anyway, as long as you are not applying for a renewal of your wife’s residence permit.)
If your wife is quick with her German course, she might apply for citizenship in March 2015 when her current residence permit will expire.
But this would only work if you live in a larger city where nobody will notice that you are actually not there anymore. If you live in a small town and the immigration officer is your neighbor, then that won’t work of course.

There are a lot of creative (or dodgy) solutions, but we should keep in mind that your wife’s citizenship application will not depend so much on how long she lived in Germany, but on her German language level and on your financial situation, as well as on other factors conducive to integration in Germany.

many thanks… we are a bit clear now concerning citizenship. so let put citizenship aside.

One question relating to German residence permit.
As her German residence permit will expire in March 2015, as we will be living in Poland (Schengen country), so she can simply come back to Germany let say in Feb 2015 and apply for extension of her German residence permit. Would this work?

you gave an answer to Mona on 21 May

“As to the time that you spend in Dubai, usually your residence in Germany is interrupted if you leave for more than 6 months (§ 12b I 1 StAG). If you wish to stay away longer and have it count towards residence, you need the permission by the Ausländerbehörde according to § 12b I 2 StAG, which is hopefully what you received. In this case, you can stay in Dubai for the year that they permitted and you only need to come back towards the end of that year, apply for a new Syrian passport and renew the permit for another year. Then you can join your husband in Dubai again.”

Can my wife do the same, ask/apply to renew the permit after March 2015?

Our biggest Goal is that my wife keep all the time valid German residence permit, also during the time when we stay in Poland (3 years)… would it possible? if yes, how?

Yes, you can try to get that permission from the German immigration office, although your wife will also get a Polish residence permit according to EC regulation 2004/38, which is just as useful as both countries are in the Schengen zone.

This is a very resourceful site you have here and you are really generous with your information.

My situation is actually complex. I was adopted by my German Father in Nigeria as you can see from the name, but he did not pull the adoption through in Germany because he was misinformed by the behorde in hamburg. He was advised that he waits until i am 18 before he went ahead with the adoption. He is a man that had worked almost all his life in nigeria and had little or no knowledge about the laws of his own home land, so he fell for it. When we went back to the behorde when i was 18, it was told him that it was too late and i could not be adopted because i was already 18. This was like putting a hole in his heart because he has no natural kids of his own and he fell in love with me the moment he saw me as a baby in Nigeria.
I have been traveling to germany since the age of 5 every 2 years with my adopted father. After my secondary school was the age i travelled with him back to settle down there and he would do the adoption. But unfortunately things went the way they went. I stayed in germany for close to 3 years, learnt the language and even got the KDS Diploma from Goethe Institute. I even started an intern program with Panalpina in Hamburg but after 3 months of work i was asked to stop work as i could not be paid because i did not have a work permit. We tried a couple of things then but could not get any head way. I and my adopted father decided i come back to nigeria and continue with my university education here. I also travelled back several times to visit my Adopted father.

In the time now, i am a graduate of computer science and have worked as a Systems/Network Administrator and presently as a Maintenance Supervisor.

My concern now is this, with the times i have travelled to Germany from birth, and also spent in germany, my ties as in Friends and Families i have made in germany and also being able to speak and write the language, can i apply for Residency through Naturalisation by Discretion? It gives me so much worries that every time i have to travel to germany to visit my Father in his old age, i always have to go through the process of applying for a Visa. Is there no other way around it, that i would not need a Visa to enter Germany when i am going to visit him? Would it be possible to apply for this, even if i would still be living and working in Nigeria?, would it still be possible to carry on with an adoption now in germany, even if i would not have the full rights of a german? Also would inheritance give me the possibility of having a residency?

There is a possibility to perform the adoption even though you are already an adult because there seems to be a genuine father-son relationship. As you mentioned, this would however not bestow citizenship on you directly. But I think that it would – in combination with all the other factors that you have mentioned – provide a strong case for your naturalization as a German citizen.

Because inheritance is only a concern once your father would pass away, I would recommend that we focus on the adoption instead.

Hello!
I was wondering what is the shortest period possible in which someone can become a German citizen, without being married to a German person? I intend to do a master and a PhD in there, learn the language, find a job and buy a house. Given this, is it possible to become German in less than 8 or 6 years?
Your opinion will be very much appreciated.
Thank you!

Well the masters is 2 years and the PhD 3 years so it would be about 5 years. During this time I can learn German and I can find a job while I am studying for my master. Would they give me citizenship in 5 years if I do all these things?

Guten tag Andreas,
I was born in South Africa in 1960 – 254 years after Wilhelm Odendall (born 1685 Cologne, Germany) – the first Odendall (now spelled Odendaal) arrived in South Africa (in 1706). He lived in Keulen prior to his move to South Africa in 1705/06.
He died on 19 January 1732 (although SA Genealogies erroneously date it as 29 January 1732).

My question – would I qualify for German Citizenship? I deeply value my German Ancestral roots and am proud of it.

Hello Moser,
Thank you for your information. It’s very helpful. Pls I would like a little clarification about this German naturalisation from you. I am a nigerian but was given birth to in Germany in 1979 by Nigerian Parents whom as at that time were working and studying in Germany. My parents both came home in 1981, but I still have my Germans certificate of birth. I am a graduate of plant science and would like to go back to Germany for my master and Phd and at the same time would like to do the naturalisation stuff if possible. I have done A1 and A2 from Goethe. Kindly enlighten me more on it.
Looking forward to hear from you soon.
Thanks

I am married to a German citizen, but we don’t live in Germany; we live in Switzerland. Could I apply for German citizenship? You mentioned that there are certain situations in which it is possible to apply for German citizenship even though you don’t live in Germany, but I was not sure whether my situation was covered. I would greatly appreciate your advice. Best regards.

Hi Andreas
I am a German citizen living in Berlin. My grandmother, also a German citizen has been living in South Africa since December 1952 at the age of 20. I have recently visited her in South Africa and would like to bring her to live with me in Berlin to look after her in her old age. I was wondering what the chances are that she would receive a German state pension if she moved back to Germany now.
Thank you and best wishes,
Camilla

Because that has nothing to do with the topic of these FAQ, I’d recommend that you contact me directly for a consultation. I would need to know your grandmother’s and her husband’s employment history for that. I charge 200 EUR for an initial consultation.

Hi, I came to Germany 21 Aug 2011, and my wife is German citizen, when i went to applly for German citizen they said to me when i have Perminent job then they give me a German cityzenship, do we need Perminent job for German nationality?

Hallo Andreas,
I have an intention to apply for a German Citizen from Canada. My situation is this: I am married to a German for over 30 years. I lived in Germany for 14 years and worked there for 9 years before my husband and my daughter and my self moved to the Philippines in 1998. In 2007, I moved to Canada to work until at present. Mean time my daughter has worked at the German Embassy Manila from 2007-2012 als Sprach Assistentin in der Verwaltung. In October 2012, She and her husband moved to Germany and found a good work in a family owned company, and while her husband ist Krankenpfleger in einem Altenheim. I have a work in Canada als Haushaelteirn und verdiene nicht schlecht. Bezahle alle Soziale Beitraege an der kanadishe Regierung. I’ve got 2 sisters in Germany too. Mein Mann hat auch noch Konto in Deutschland. Mein Deutsh kenntnis ist nicht schlecht. Wie steht meine Chancen fuer die Einbuergerung. P.S. Ich war letztes Jahr in Deutschland zum besuch aber nur 3 Wochen…Vielen Dank im voraus!!!

1. It would have been easier to do this before 1998 when you still lived in Germany. :-)

2. You might have a case. I would only be worried because your long stay in Germany has been so long ago and it would help if you are also engaged in some social, academic, political or economic activities related to Germany now in Canada. What your children are doing does not really count that much because they can apply for German citizenship themselves if they qualify.

3. Do you have Canadian citizenship or are you planning to apply for that as well? If you apply for naturalization in Germany, Germany would require you to give up your Canadian citizenship (if you have it), which might make things more complicated for you if you plan to stay in Canada. If you don’t have Canadian citizenship yet, you would need to be present a case in which you have stronger ties to Germany than to Canada, which might be hard after living and working in Canada for 7 years.

My question will be about moving temporarily to overseas while holding German residence permit types. I am a Lebanese national and I have been living in Germany since 4 years and I am a holder of Blue card valid for next 4 years. My company is asking me to move to US for 2 years of time.

I am interested to go but I do not want to lose my German citizenship chance which will be coming after 3-4 more years.

How do you suggest to continue for me? Which of the residence permits among BlueCard/Niederlassungerlaubnis/daueraufenthalt-eg can be most useful for such purpose? (Visiting Europe would also possible for me for 1-2 time a year)

Usually a residence permit becomes invalid once you leave Germany for more than 6 months (§ 51 I Nr. 7 AufenthG).

If you know that you will return to Germany after 2 years, the best thing would be to inform the Ausländerbehörde about your secondment to the US and ask for permission to maintain your residence status during that time (§ 51 IV 1 AufenthG). This will then also could towards your residence time when you will apply for naturalization in Germany (§ 12b I 2 StAG).

Hallo Andreas
I am asking out of interest. Would naturalization from abroad be considered under these circumstances? I am living in South Africa, having been married here to a German citizen for more than 8 years. My German is fairly fluent and I speak the language daily. I have done the German Abitur at a German school South Africa, and I work in a German company. When I was still unmarried I spent one year as an exchange student in Germany; later while I was married I lived with my family in Germany on a work visa for 18 months. I have also been in Germany on tourist visas on many occasions over more than 10 years to visit my wife’s family. I now have 2 children who have dual South African and German citizenship, the youngest of them was born in Germany. Perhaps the biggest problem is that I do not want to give up South African citizenship.
Would it be a waste of time and money to apply for naturalization from abroad?

Dear Andreas,
I’m a Syrian inventor living and working in Dubai, due to situation in Syria, I would like to apply for German citizenship. but because of my business in Dubai, im not ready to live in Germany.
is there are any options for citizenship by investment? like to establish a business in Germany

An investment might be enough for a residence permit, but then you would need to live in Germany to exercise it (otherwise you might lose it again after a while).

The citizenship by discretion is possible if you make investments in Germany, but you would usually have to have other ties to Germany as well (like speaking German, having studied there, family ties).

Highly appreciate your all valuble information. I am Sri Lankan and did my Master in Germany ( 3 years) and now working as a Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin ( contributing German pension and tax system and doing my PhD ( still one and few months )in the university. I have about C 1 level German language and working and learning furthermore. Now, altogether I am living here about 4 and 3 months. I will do the Einbürgerungin Test next November. My question is, under my these conditions, can I apply for German Citizenship December 2014.

That would probably still be deemed too early. The internal guidelines of the Department of the Interior reduce the regular 8-year residency requirement to 6 years in the case of someone who is highly integrated and almost fluent in German, like yourself. Therefore you would probably still have to wait about 2 years.

Thank you very much for your valuable information. Truly appreciated. To keep it short so as not to waste too much of your time: I am a non-EU citizen married to a German. I went to a German school in my home country from Kindergarten up to the Abitur, which is recognized by the German government (so C2 proficiency). I lived in Spain for 3 years where I earned my degree and met and lived together with my husband there and then we moved together out of the EU for our job (same country). I occasionally teach in Germany on short term basis. Since we regularly visit Germany, I moved my residency from Spain to Germany at the time of our marriage and been keeping it on the basis of registering my place of residence on that of my husband’s family house (or at least that has been the case for the last 4 months).

My question is: would my residence in another EU country and getting a European degree count towards anything? Would my German school education of 17 years count as ties (mind you that everything was taught in German and was on Germany)? Can I keep a second residence in Germany as a non-EU citizen while living and working abroad with my husband? Based on the above is naturalization an option any time in the future or only when we return to permanently reside in Germany?

The factors that would count in your favour are the German education, your time spent in Germany, your marriage to a German, your fluency in German, and the knowledge about and interest in German affairs you might have.

The time spent in Spain really does not help, nor does the university degree obtained in Spain unless it was in German studies, German language, German literature or something.

Regarding the residence, I am not sure what you mean. If you both work in Lebanon, your residence is in Lebanon (unless you commute every day). Being registered somewhere else does not establish residence if you don’t really live there for the majority of the time.

Overall, I think you might have a shot at naturalization according to § 14 StAG, especially if you continue teaching in Germany. Is your job in Lebanon related to Germany in any way? Do you engage in any Germany-related activities there? That would help further. How long are you planning to stay in Lebanon? One test would be whether you could show that your ties to Germany are actually greater than those to Lebanon, although you live and work in Lebanon (and as an Egyptian obviously also speak the language).

Thank you very much for your very detailed reply. Really, thank you for taking the time for this. Your answer helps a lot! In fact, we are here to work on the refugee situation in Syria and given the fluid situation we cannot know how long our jobs are going to last…therefore we don’t know if it is a permanent job for us or not.

As for the residency, I think I will lose it after 6 months of not living in Germany, but I wanted to confirm on this. I kept it given that we didn’t know if we will stay in Lebanon for over 6 months or not – again given the unpredictable situation. But we are slowly getting there ;) Hence, it will be visas for me every Christmas and Easter. I do however engage in teaching in Germany every year (at least up until now) and am thinking of working with Goethe in Beirut. So hopefully that would help for the future.

Yes, if you could work for/with the Goethe Institute in Beirut or specifically with Syrian refugees planning to go to Germany, that would help a lot.
It also helps in this context that your situation in Lebanon is not a permanent one.

Would I be able to re-gain my German citizenship? I was born and raised in Germany and married a U.S. Citizen. I became a naturalized U.S. Citizen in 1990 before the law changed that now allows dual citizenship. Now that my spouse is retired, we would like to move back to Germany. While my spouse is not intending to work, I would like to work and understand that it is more difficult to get a work permit and job for U.S. citizens based on the “Vorrangprinzip” for EU/EFTA members.

Yes, you can apply for re-naturalization in Germany, but you would be asked to give up your US citizenship.

If you are not ready to do that, you could apply for a residence permit as a former German in accordance with § 38 AufenthG, which includes a work permit (§ 38 IV AufenthG), but – depending on your qualifications – it might be harder to get a job with the residence permit than with German citizenship, as you noted.

There is no way to sponsor anyone for German citizenship. The requirements need to be met by the person applying, so unless your mother has real ties to Germany and speaks fluent German, there is no chance.

I would greatly appreciate if you could give me some pointers. Will try to be brief!

Born in Germany (on an American military base I believe) 1986, currently 28
German mother, American father
Moved to America by age of 2, have never been back to Germany
Mother passed away while I was a teenager

I am planning to visit Germany next year and am attempting to reach out to my family over there. I’m feeling the desire to move to Germany, master another language, and challenge myself in a new environment. While I visit, I plan to feel the country out and evaluate whether or not I would like to try living in Germany.

I have been living abroad in Japan for 5 years and speak/read/write fluent Japanese, so I know how to study foreign languages and have experience abroad. I am studying German now and am working hard for fluency! Actually German was the first foreign language I studied, but only in high school courses (though I seem to have retained a good bit and have a good head start).

1. Given that my “ties” to Germany seem to have been severed, how realistic is citizenship, and what can I do to increase my chances? (working on the language ability)
2. If citizenship is too difficult to obtain in the meantime, does the law offer any advantages to “German birthright” individuals who simply wish to obtain a visa/residency? In other words, the ability to live and work in Germany, but not participate in politics etc.

If the answer is very grey and difficult, any sort of help or general advice to keep me moving would simply be amazing as well. Thank you.

I may have good news for you: if your mother was a German citizen at the time of your birth and you did not apply for naturalization in the US (and I assume you got US citizenship from birth because of your American father), then you HAVE German citizenship ALREADY.

In order to obtain a German passport, you would need to show that your mother was a German citizen in 1986 (her birth certificate, her old passport, old records from Germany) and that you are your mother’s son (your birth certificate).

The FAQ above actually apply to you at all because you don’t need to apply for naturalization. After 1975, being born to a German mother made you a natural born German (§ 4 I 1 StAG).

It’s good that you find out about this now instead of another 28 years later, I would say. :-) Enjoy Germany!

I am married to a German citizen since 1993. We are living in the Caribbean. We have to German children already adults. I speak German because I learned in the German embassy courses. But I have never lived in germany. Only in the Caribbean. Can I ask for German passport.? Which possibilities do I have? Thanks for your answers. Blesses

No. 3 and 4 of the FAQ above should be a good guideline, and then you have to decide if you think you have strong enough ties to Germany. There needs to be more than the marriage because that can be dissolved at any time of course.

I would like to ask you for help. My great-grandfather (born 1904), my great-grandmother (born 1904) and grandmother (born 1934) and also their ancestors was German they lived in former Czechoslovakia and did not lose their German nationality during their lives. My German grandmother married Czech grandfather in 1953, have a daughter in 1959 (my mother) and I was born in 1987 to Czech parents, there is any chance how to receive citizenship for me or my mother?
I think my mother has a chance to get German citizenship through naturalization (§ 14 Stag) as a child that was born to German mother in 1959 but I suppose it would be limited only for my mother, so that I could not gain German citizenship from her, could I? The naturalization of s child of German mother (born from 1953 to 1975) means it gains German citizenship from date of birth or from date of receiving an official certificate of naturalization?

Hello Andreas,
I have two doubts related to citizenship eligibility.
1. My wife has completed the integration course and she is not working as well.If she continues till B2 level, whether she can file citizenship application in 6 yrs residence completion?
2. We are not getting any un-employment benfitis since my salry range is above the limit.We are in public health insurance paid by me as well. In this case, Is it mandatory that she also should work while filing citizenship application in 6 yrs (integration + B2) or 7 yrs with integration course level?
Reason is school authoruty told that she needs to study atleast C1 level to work here.I don’t know if it is just for shcool business or reality.After integration course the money I need to invest should be worthly, that’s why.

So the time for me will be 8 years ,thanks for the answer
By the way dont you know about austrian naturalisation or where i can find about it
And i would like to know if in Austria there is no special rules for other EU ,if the time to live there would be shorter
Thanks

Dear Andreas,
Vielen dank für diesen blog und deine hilfe.
Ich habe deinen ganzen Blog gelesen und wollte nur gerne ein paar Fragen stellen.
My mother’s side of the family (including her) were all born in Germany. Nonetheless, by 1960’s, they all came to Brazil and my mother (aged 24) naturalized Brazilian due to job opportunities and later marrying my Brazilian father. I was born 6 years after that (1982) in Brazil and my grandparents never gave up their German citizenship. Currently, both my grandparents as well as my mother passed away and I hold a Brazilian and American passport; however, due to my career prospects in the UK and Switzerland, I would like to investigate the possibility of obtaining the German citizenship through my family ties.
Glaubst du dass das möglich ist?
Viellen dank,
Pablo

I want my wife to have German Nationality, she is a Pakistani and we both live in Dubai. What are the chances of her naturalization abroad, and what can be done to improve the chances of her application getting approved? My mother is a German and lives in Hamburg while my father is a Pakistani. My family has strong ties with the German embassy in Pakistan having helped the embassy extract a German citizen who was being held against her will by her husband. My father was also contacted by the embassy when they were looking for a local architect to provide support to a German company for the construction of a school. These ties are, however, my parents ties to the embassy and don’t prove that my wife has any ties to Germany.

Hello Andreas,
I would like to ask you if you could explain me how ethnic
German emigrants become Ethnic German resettlers in Germany and what
are the conditions to do so. I have found out that Ethnic German
resettlers need to speak at least at level B1 of German language (from
2008 also their family members) and after they resettle to Germany
they have to stay there permamently (or at least a half year)
according to § 4 Bundesvertriebenengesetz and § 116 odst. 1 of German
constitution.
Petr

I’m married to a German citizen, speak fluent German, have a business in Germany, a bank account, a car and pay taxes. I’ve been living here for only 6 months, but I feel very integrated already. If I apply for citizenship now, is it likely to be denied? It takes more than a year to renounce my current citizenship(from a non-EU country). Do I have to wait until I’m stateless or it’s possible to send the papers to the embassy and get a document stating that I requested to renounce my citizenship and continue with the process of getting my German passport? If 6 months is too little, am I likely to succeed if I wait a year? It’s very important for me to get an EU passport since my country won’t issue me a passport because of military service.

This is an impressive list. I will be happy to help, although I am wondering how you plan to write anything with so many books to read :) Back to my question, maybe a bit of details will help. In my case the existing citizenship is Russian. I was wondering whether any of my rights in Russia would be damaged by losing the nationality. I can check it myself, but what could be the options? Right to work? Retirement benefits? Accession to the heirship? Thank you!

I will address all of these issues in the new FAQ (because this thread already has too many comments). – You have probably seen that there are some books by Russian authors or about Russia on my wishlist. :)

Yes I have seen that, and the Zwölf Stühle are on their way to you. It’s one of my favourite books. Please let me know when this new FAQ appears, I’m new here and not sure how to make sure I see it. Thanks!

Wow, thank you! I have wanted that book for years because so many people have praised it as the funniest book they have read. – I will e-mail you when the new FAQ are up. If you subscribe to my blog, you will automatically receive all new posts (but of course also those which are of no interest to you).

Thanks a lot for your helpful information and support!
I am from Palestine, which am considered as without nationality in Germany. I will finish my PhD in electrical engineering from Germany very soon. I am staying in Germany since April 2011. My wife is Palestinian, and have 3 children one of them was born in Germany. I finished B1 level. My question is that what is the minimum time required for my case in order to get naturalization?

You will find this answered in detail in my general FAQ on German citizenship, but with B1 and the integration course the residence requirement is 7 years. If you can get to B2 level or even higher, it is 6 years. Your time as a PhD student will count fully.

HI Andreas,
Your effort is appreciated!
I have arrived Germany since 4 years, I completed my PhD and I am working now in a company. I finished B2 language course. I asked about getting the citizenship in my city, they told me that I need at least 6 years of stay in Germany to get it. However, you wrote that the required time between (3-8) years, How can I benefit from this to get the citizen now without waiting another 2 years?

My husband was born in the U.S. in 1967 to a German mother and American father. He has U.S. citizenship only since, at the time, having a German mother did not automatically qualify him for German citizenship (pre-1975). It seems the rule has changed and he will now be able to apply for German citizenship. He is excited to start this process, as he still has plenty of family still living in Germany, with whom he is very close. I am a US citizen and we have been married 25 years.

My questions are, will our three children (born 1989, 1990 and 1994) be automatically eligible to gain dual-citizenship (German-U.S.) once he officially receives his German citizenship? Will our granddaughter (born 2014) gain dual citizenship, as well? Our daughter’s husband is a U.S. citizen.

Hello Andreas,
My name is Josef Habel 16 years old and i have this question can i claim my kindergeld since i left Germany i left germany at the age of 3 i went to phillippines to my mothers parents which i am living in right now with my grandparents i didnt come back for 13 years beacause my passport got expired and my dads unemployed and my mother has problems and both of my parents are in europe but they applied me a kindergeld before i left and claimed some of it when i was still there by any chance can i get my kindergeld since im moving to germany next week to my mum thanks for your answer

I am a partner of a Portuguese Citizen, He had lived in Germany for 7 years, We just left the country to study here in Germany, Her mother lives in Germany and His Brother as well for the same time, Her brother is graduated by the high school and now he is doing a vocational course ( Ausbildung), Do you think my partner can apply for Germany Citizenship here in UK?

We would like both of us to get german citizenship, and we had married in Germany, Is that a strong ties?

Is there a reason why your partner did not apply for regular naturalization when he/she lived in Germany? 7 Years would have fulfilled the residency requirement if his/her language skills were good enough and he/she passed the integration course.
It sounds like the easier way would be to return to Germany asap, so as not to lose the long period of residence, and apply for regular naturalization.
I don’t see ties that are strong enough for a naturalization from abroad.

Hi Andreas,
I am writing this from Siegen, Germany. I stayed in Germany between Oct 2004 to Jun 2011, 6 years 9 months. I went back to my home country, India in Jul 2011 and returned back to Germany in May 2014. I have the proof of tax payed by me from German tax department for pension (Rentenversicherung) during 2004 – 2011 for 6 years and 9 months. I would like to apply for permanent residence or citizenship of Germany. Will they count my stay in Germany from 2004 to 2011?

HI Andreas,
Your effort is appreciated!
I have arrived Germany since 4 years, I completed my PhD and I am working now in a company. I finished B2 language course. I asked about getting the citizenship in my city, they told me that I need at least 6 years of stay in Germany to get it. However, you wrote that the required time between (3-8) years, How can I benefit from this to get the citizen now without waiting another 2 years?

Only in very special circumstances. Naturalization with less than 6 years of residence is often granted to athletes or to big investors and sometimes to applicants who can provide useful information to the German Intelligence Service.

1) I was born in Namibia, Africa and have always lived here
2) My Father is German
3) My Parents were never Married
4) I was born in 1979
5) I have a “Belehrung vor Beurkundung der Anerkennung der Vaterschaft”
6) I can speak/understand German not brilliantly but enough.

The big reason for me to try and get a passport now is that i have recently married a British Citizen and she would like to move back to the UK and having a German Passport would make everything easier

Hi Andreas,
I would like to ask you some,
Actually i am from Pakistan and also my nationality is Pakistani so my question is that i have decided that i want to study in Germany due to high ranking and better education system so
when i complete my degree (3 years) then how many time to take for citizenship?
(2) during the period of my study in Germany (3 years) is it count for this criteria?
(3) if i want to marry there then how many times to take for citizenship?

I have found your information here very interesting and helpful. My question is: my mother was born in Berlin in 1926 and married my American father in Berlin in 1952? I was born in America in 1964. However, i have always wanted to move back to Germany and would like to live there while my daughter attends college in Germany. Do you think it would be possible for me to obtain German citizenship? I am a nurse but would consider other forms of employment in Germany if possible. I just really want yo return and instill my German heritage to my daughter as well.
Thank you!

Question if was born in the US of two German Immigrants (From Hamburg and Cottbus) to the US following world war II. They met and married here, What would be the best way for me to apply for citizenship? To my knowledge both my parents renounced their German Citizenship. Speaking German is not a problem as that is what i was raised speaking.

Hello my name is Vanessa. My father has lived in Germany for more than 30yrs an he is a Ghanian. He has his green card and all other documents. I have lived in Ghana all my life and I would like to join him in Germany. I am 23yrs old and I would like to know what procedures to take for me to join him. Can my dad help me come to Germany? Also, will I be able to get my green card and other documents? Please, what do I do? Thank you

You are too old for family reunion, so you would need to get a student/work/business visa. Your father can help indirectly, by offering you to live at his place.

I won’t go into the details because it’s more a question about moving to Germany or getting a visa, not about citizenship. I will put up a separate list of FAQ on these subjects once someone mails me a book from my wishlist in order to motivate me.

Dear Andreas,
Greetings from Jamaica.My grandmother had my mom from a live in relationship with a German man but they never got married. Later on my grandmother left him. We never had a chance to apply for German nationality and were brought up as Jamaicans. I would love to apply for German nationality but the problem being is that I have no documents of my grandfather proving his German nationality.However my mother’s baptism certificate says her father’s nationality is German.

Would that Baptism certificate be enough for the German embassy to consider my case to give me and my mom german nationality or there will be no chance at all?

Good Afternoon Andreas
I’m 19 years old , and i’m very interested in acquiring the German citizenship , my ancestor was born in Germany (I have his birth certificate) and in 1856 arrived in Peru where he had a son ( My great-great-grandfather) in which he passed him the German citizenship since they are both in the Register of Passports.Then,he had a son ( My great-grandfather) in 1891 but born outside marriage or “natural son” but i think he acknowledged him since i bear his last name,
Is this a problem ? can i still get the German citizenship by this side?

My mother is also a descendant of German immigrants ( Her great-great grandparents), through her mother. My Grandmother never did the paperwork to get the citizenship , she married a non-German in 1955 and had my mother in 1956. This looks like FAQ 8 , can you confirm me if this impedes me to acquire the citizenship?
Thank you very much for the information! from Lima,Peru.

for the first question, we would need to know if there was an official acknowledgement of paternity which would satisfy the laws in place in Peru in 1891.

Regarding your mother, she would indeed fall under no. 8 of the FAQ if her mother (your grandmother) still had German citizenship at the time of your mother’s birth. It sounds like this was not the case, so that the chain of German citizenship was unfortunately broken.

It’s going to be a tough challenge looking for that document , sad to know the chain of German citizenship was broken by my mother’s side.
If i can’t get the citizenship through descent, Do you think i qualify for naturalization ?
I have family members living in Berlin(with German citizenship), I have started learning German in the Goethe Institut, able to support myself financially, and I’m willing to give up any citizenship.
I truly appreciate your time , Danke!!
Ps: I recommend you to read our Nobel winner Mario Vargas Llosa or Colombian Gabriel Garcia Marquez , i can’t still get over how good Love in the Time of Cholera is.

Thank you for the recommendation! I have only read “One Hundred Years of Solitude” so far and I was blown away. Fantastic! I tried “The Time of the Hero” (“La ciudad y los perros”) by Vargas Llosa, but I honestly could not finish it.

Naturalization from abroad is tough and your German would need to be fluent (plus other ties, like employment, marriage, academia). It’s usually easier to go to Germany as a student and then take it from there.

Dear Andreas, i hope this find you well,
I’m 39 years old, born in Germany in 1976 for a Syrian parents, i left Germany when i was 6 years old, i speak German like B1 level or little higher, i live in Dubai now, do you think i can apply for citizenship?
Many thanks for your efforts.
Firas.

Salam Firas,
you would need to have continuing strong ties to Germany, like working for a German company, regular travel to Germany, studying with a German university (e.g. Fernuniversität).
The time that you spent in Germany as a child was too long ago to be sufficient.

My husband is a German working in Vietnam and we have a 7 year-old-son who also has German passport. We are marrried for almost 8 years. Due to my husband’s job, we moved to Germany in 2012 and then headed back to Vietnam in 2014 (around 2 years and 3 months) and currently living Vietnam.

I obtained already B1 and finished integration test (25 out of 25 questions). I checked with BVA in Cologne about the naturalization of whom living abroad. It is said it takes them 2 years before reviewing the documents. Coming back to the requirement of 3 year residency in Germany, I only need 9 more months,however, I could not move to Germany alone as my hubsband is working in Vietnam.

I don’t really see any other alternative except the two options which you outlined. Of course you could always move to Germany with your son (he is German and you as the mother would receive a residence permit according to § 28 I AufenthG), but without your husband there, you would be required to stay for a total of at least 6 years in Germany before you can apply for naturalization.

Hi Andreas!
I am trying to naturalise, thus denouncing my US citizenship. Let’s say I had been living in Germany for 2 years and decided to go back to the United States to visit my family for 2 weeks. Would I have to start over my 8 years when I came back? I guess a simpler way of saying this is, would I have to live in Germany for 8 years without leaving for any period of time in order to naturalise?

I have three more questions tat i forgot to put in there. #1 What documents are needed to become a german citizen (birth certificate, Visa, etc.)? #2 How can i show proof that i have been living in germany for eight years (I’m planning on going to college for six years in Berlin if that helps)? #3 I read that you need the “proper residency permit” but I also read that if you have an EU citizenship, you don’t need a permit. Could you explain if I need one or the other or both? If you could answer these three questions along with the question that i put this reply on, i would appreciate it very much!!!

I have been reading your blogs regarding the german citizenship. My sister who is originally Egyptian is now a german citizen living in germany for the past 10 years, married to a german guy before she moved there and have two kids. I do not live in germany but I am a frequent visitor. Am I eligible to the German citizenship or permanent residency somehow?

Been looking for a blog like this for a long time. I have been married to a German for 10 years. We live in the United States and have 2 kids who have duel citizenship. They hold both passports. My wife ( the German ) is a Green card holder in the U.S. I can transfer to Germany with my employer, but they will not sponsor me. I will need to be eligible to work in the EU in order to transfer. My question is, how can I obtain a work permit while not living there? I will need to wait for an open position before I can transfer, but I need to have this before applying for the position. Will this be possible while not living in Germany? Thanks for sharing you knowledge!!

Dear Andreas,
I am a Indian National of 37 years. I have been staying in Germany from July 2007 and working since October 2007. I have a Deutsch B1 certificate and also have cleared the Einburgeriung test. My husband and 5 year old son have already got their German citizenship. Now I have to leave Germany and go to Sweden since my husband is working there. I also have a job in Sweden. I have already applied for german nationality. So what would happen to my application now. Can I still be granted the citizenship, when I am in sweden.

I am a naturalised German citizen. I have never lived in Germany. I was born and live in South Africa. I received naturalisation through my grandfather who was Jewish and born in Hamburg and left during ww2. Am I entitled to contribute towards the German pension fund and will I be able to receive a pension on retirement?

Hallo Andreas!
Its Ian again. I want to make sure that my citizenship says I was born in Germany with the correct Date and everything, but I only have a birth certificate saying I was born in the US (My original was lost and I got a New one in the us). Is there a way around this or will it have to stay this way?

Hello Andrease ! I would like to ask you a question which hasn’t been answered for years but today I felt like asking you . Well , my father is from Afghanistan and used to live and work in Germany years ago at the time currency was Mark not Euro . He had German passport I mean Germany citizenship but I don’t know why he left the country went back to Pakistan and lost his documents since then he has been trying to get his documents back somehow contacting the embassy but he hasn’t been successful yet that’s why he is kind of hopeless now . Do you think that he could come back to Germany or Germany would find his documents and allow him to come ? As he’s really anxious about coming here and wants to work too . Hope to hear from you as soon as possible . Thanxxxx

Hi, it’s me again could guide me how to do that I mean if you could give me with embassy contact number or any web page that can have more helpfull info . One more thing suppose if he didn’t have the German passport but had only visa instead would he still been able to reapply ? Thanks

Andreas has been all the way generous enough to make this blog and share all of this information for all people to benefit. He doesn’t ask for money in return, he does however expect us to send one of the books he wishes to read as means of appreciation or as a ‘thank you’. He already has a wish list in which you can check out if you want to buy one. A book is a nice and reasonably priced gift.

For example in my case, unfortunately I don’t have a personal bank account to use for online money transactions. Thus, I have to wait for my husband and ask him to pay for a book if he is desperate to be assured with an answer. Otherwise, to me a book doesn’t seem enough to thank him for what he is doing to all of us. You know information costs money these days. Have you tried talking to other lawyers before? :)

Thank you very much for your understanding, your kind words and for explaining it to others!
Questioners should always consider that any minute I spend on answering their question I won’t be able to spend for myself, my hobbies, my interests. Therefore it’s not like answering questions doesn’t cost me anything.

My father is native German, I m born 25.03.1971. in Serbia [Yugoslavia]. I still live in Serbia. I wish to know do i have right to get German citizenship? thank you for your time. Sonya Motsch, best regards.

Yes, if your father was German at the time of your birth, you automatically received German citizenship when you were born. If you never applied for any other citizenship since then (not counting the Yugoslav/Serbian one, which you also might have obtained at birth), you still have German citizenship.

I did my Masters in Germany (2 years) as a student. I left the country to go to US for PhD. Now I am planing to come back after my PhD, get married to my German girl friend, and start working in Germany. How long would I have to wait to apply for permanent residence? Also, how long would I have to wait to apply for the German Naturalization/Passport? My German level is at A2. I can try to bump it to B1.

Thanks :-) Do I first have to get the temporary residence, then permanent residence, and then Naturalization? Or are these all independent and I don’t have to wait for permanent residence to apply for naturalization?

Hello,
My daughter was born in the United States. I am a American citizen and my wife is a German citizen. Can my daughter obtain German citizenship? She turns 2 in May. Also, is there a way I can obtain citizenship or a work permit?

Thank you andreas! I don’t know if this makes a difference but I forgot to add that my wife was born in American to a German citizen. My wife and her mother moved to Berlin when she was very young. Again, thank you!

Thanks a mill. for the wonderful summary and the effort to answer so many queries.

My question is regarding the ‘citizenship through a German spouse”. What if the spouse in this case didn’t have German citizenship at the time of marriage and only became German after 4 years of marriage. Can spouse’s partner in this case apply for citizenship immediately? or do the partner need to wait for another 2 years?

the first 30 or so years of my life I have held a German passport although I have only lived in Germany until the age of 19. I have since obtained a Canadian passport and have basically let my German passport expire. I think I would have lost my German Citizenship automatically but ‘am not entirely sure. In any case, I would, if possible, like to re-obtain my German Citizenship and become a dual Citizen along with my Canadian Citizenship. Does anyone know if this is possible?

My husband lived here 7 year and six months . My husband and me are Indians . He got masters and phd here and working now. He is in Aufenthaltserlaubnis last years. We had baby in 2015 Jan . he completed 5 year Aufenthaltserlaubnis plus lived 7 year 4 months in Germany. so my question is will my baby get german citizenship?
he didnt have b1 certificate but he completed b1 and also have certificate of A! .but not b1 certificate.

is he need to apply blue card or nieder or direct to naturalization ?
i am in student visa since 2013 Jan . I am n wife\spouse visa . but they sent my marriage certificate for verification and got clearance last month. so waiting for me to change to spouse visa

Hi Andreas,
My husband lived here 7 year and six months already (till now) and need 6 more months to complete eight months . My husband and me are Indians . He got masters and phd here and working now. He is in Aufenthaltserlaubnis last 5 years. We had baby in 2015 Jan . he completed 5 year Aufenthaltserlaubnis plus lived 7 year 4 months in Germany when my baby born. so my question is will my baby get german citizenship?
he didnt have b1 certificate but he completed b1 and also have certificate of A1.but not b1 certificate.

is he need to apply blue card or nieder or direct to naturalization ?
i am in student visa since 2013 Jan .I came in student visa. I am not in wife\spouse visa . but they sent my marriage certificate for verification and got clearance last month. so waiting for me to change to spouse visa

I got a Blue card since March 2014 and I have plan to apply for a settlement permit after 21 moth with B1 certificate.
1- If I receive a settlement permit and get a C1 certificate in next 2 years. How long later do I need to wait to apply to become a citizen of Germany.(I came in September 2013 and start a work as a blue card since March 2015.
2- Next question about my wife, I read unfortunately she can not apply for a settlement permit with me!!! is there any way to apply together for settlement permit or she should wait for up to 5 years.( we are both has a Master degree which is notarized by ZAB- my wife has a B1)
3- Last question, reading born a kid. What will happen and situation for a baby, If I receive a settlement permit by December 2015 and my kid born in Germany after year 2015.

I doubt Andreas has time to answer. Mine is still unanswered. Here is my take on your queries

1. The minimum duration in Germany to naturalization is 6 years with exceptional German skills. I think C1 could work. So you will still have to wait
2. I am not sure
3. If a child is born to foreign parents and at least one of them has lived in Germany for 8 years then the child automatically gets German citizenship. You don’t even have to apply. The Bürgeramt will contact you after the birth. In your case, your child born in 2015 will not have that case applied to him

I was looking at your third answer on Jafars’ question and I would like to comment on the part child born to foreign parents who has lived in Germany for 8 years or more.

Look at my case in specific; I was born in 1981 in Germany, studied and lived for around 9 years, my father originally Jordanian who used to live and work in Germany since 1958 got the German Passport in 1992. By that time I was in Jordan (since around 1990) and he did not enroll me neither my mom! Currently I was consulting with some legal arms and everybody was telling me that I have no right to ask for either a Permit neither the citizenship by naturalization!

I am curious to know from knowledgeable people like you or Andreas and I am more than Thankful whether I have a chance to acquire the German citizenship?

1. The spouse must be German
2. The applicant must be married to the spouse for 2 years
3. The applicant must have spent 3 years in Germany
4. All the other requirements that a normal German applicant has to fulfill (B1, Einbürgerungtest etc)

Now, does your time of being married/(in Germany) before your husbands citizenship counts or not is not clear to me.

yes. I married to him before three years and now he applying for naturalization
I am confused little bit. He just going to apply for naturalization
am i apply along with him or do I need to wait for it another three years once he got naturalization

Sir,
my self is John Iam an Indian . last 9 years Iam living in germany . since december 2005 to since August 2013 i was a asylum seeker.September 2013 i got residence permit for germany
Now i have my own bussiness in germany . i have done my B1 test. From reading, listening, writting and speaking. Every were i got B1.and also i have complited my Einbürgerun test. Is there any possibillty that i can apply for german citizenship.

Hi Andreas,
thank you for providing all the wonderful advice. I have become very curious about my eligibility for naturalization and landed on your page as I started researching. Here’s a bit about my background:

Lived in Germany for 5 years (as child of diplomat)
Studied at a German university for an additional 2 years (study visa)
Speak & write fluent German
Currently reside in US

First off, thank you so much for the FAQ’s.I know this is an older thread but was wondering if you could take a few moments of your time to answer a question for me.

I was born in Germany in 1989. My parents were refugee’s at the time. I spent about the first 10 years of my life there but never received citizenship. I then moved to the US and received my citizenship here after some time. My brother lives in Norway with German citizenship.

Is there any way for me to obtain a German citizenship through my brother or through birth (I know my birthday is prior to Feb 1990) without having to go through the process as if I have never had any ties ?

Hi Andreas,
I checked on the books that you like so I can mail them to you, but they are not available here. :(
You see, Im a Filipino and I married a Filipino/German citizen (my husband’s mom is Filipino, father is German from Weisbaden). His parents still live in Germany and would like to visit/stay there for more maybe 6months and come back here but cant stay longer than that because my parents are here with me in the Philippines.
We have been married for 4 years and have been living / working in the Philippines. Can I still get a German citizenship? I have been studying German in Goethe Institut Manila.

Andreas, how are you, nice to meet you. I have a big question regarding whether my mother can acquire or not the German Nationality. I really need help.

Her mother is German, her father in not German.
She was born in 1954…
She doesn’t lives in Germany.
She studied 3 years in Germany during her adolescence
She speaks German.

Other facts
Here in her country my mother studied at a German school.
My grandmother taught German for 40 years in a major university in my country
My grandmother’s parents were founders of the only German school in the capital of my country.

I know she was born before 1975 of a German mother, but couldn’t she acquire the German nationality considering all this, if yes what requirements she needs?

Hi Andreas, I have been reading through the questions and answers and am not sure if any of them apply to myself.

– My father is a German citizen, born in Germany and moved out here when he was 21. He has only a German passport.
– My mother is a South African citizen with only a South African passport
– I was born in South Africa in 1974. I have always had a German and South African passport and still do.
– when I was a child I went to Germany for a month to visit family on an annual basis. I spoke German very well. Since leaving school I have only been back a few times due to the lovely exchange rate. Because of this my German is appalling to virtually non existent
– I am a South African citizen but do not know if I am a German citizen as well.
– I recently obtained a new German Passport as mine had expired. The lady who assisted me asked if I was a German citizen, to which I replied no. She then said that I should apply.
– I subsequently noticed that my new passport says that my nationality is German.

My questions are as follows:
1. Am I a German Citizen?
2. If not can I apply without losing my SA citizenship?

Oh yes, I have recently married a British citizen. We are thinking of moving to the UK.
Thanks a mil
Kind Regards
Xenia Witte

I was born in December 1963 and have a German birth certificate. I can’t find if I was declared a citizen at that time by my German mother. My father was a US Citizen. Based on when I was born I know I did not have it by default, unless possibly I was stateless. I was forced to naturalize by my mother in the US when I was 16. Until then I either had German citizenship or was stateless. I meet many of the other requirements of § 13 including certified B2 ability. The language requirement is B1.

§ 14

I plan to look at this option if § 13 does not apply in the event I can not substantiate if my mother declared me a German citizen when I was born. However the current June 2015 Merkblatt states the following regarding language:

Nr. I c referring to people who lost citizenship between 1933 and 1945 due to political reasons, obviously not me. Is a C1 test really necessary? Would a B2 suffice if other requirements of § 14 are met?

1) Let’s first find out if you ever were German and cross the “§ 14 StAG bridge” when we need to get there.
2) The processing of an application according to § 14 StAG usually takes so long, that the time it will take you to reach C1 level pales in comparison.

Hi. Thanks for all of the help you have given to so many people, we appreciate it. I’m hoping you could answer my questions.

Background:

Paternal grandfather U.S. citizen born New York 1920 to U.S. Parents met grandmother while stationed in Germany

Paternal grandmother German born to German parents 1923 in Amsterdam (great grandfather owned a second business there at the time)

Not sure when they married (stayed married until death) but it was before my father had been born, and they moved to America (1948 I think) when grandfather rotated back to the States father born after they were in the U.S.

Paternal grandmother did not become U.S. citizen or if did it was after my dad was born

Dad born 1958 in New York

Maternal grandparents born in U.S. to U.S. only citizens

Mother was born 1959 to American parents in Germany while grandfather was stationed in Germany then rotated to States

My mother and father married in 1977 in U.S. I was born 1980 in U.S. They divorced 1981.

My questions are

1. Could I potentially be given German citizenship due to my paternal grandmother, and if not
2. Could I potentially be given German citizenship through naturalization while living abroad. I do not speak German but will have learned before applying, and have never been to Germany.

Hey, if my great grandmother, and grandmother were born in Germany, and my mother was born here in Canada in 1950 can she apply for naturalization under “according to § 14 StAG to rectify an old problem: Children who were born to a German mother and a non-German father before 1975 often did not receive German citizenship by descent” like you outlined in #8? Not sure if it matters but my great grandfather was born in Poland and grandfather was born in Canada. Thanks.

The place of birth matters less than the citizenship of the persons involved. If your grandmother was German, then your mother qualifies (subject to meeting the other conditions like speaking German etc.).

My mother was born in Germany 1939 immigrated to Canada in 1963 still a German citizen (never became Canadian citizen and has an German passport) met my father in Canada, he was born in Germany but became a Canadian citizen shortly after the marriage (He was a Canadian citizen when I was born). I was born in 1967 in Canada, am I eligible for German naturalization? Also, are my Canadian born daughters (2003 & 2005–mother is Canadian) eligible as well?

Hello,
I am from Afghanistan…just 5 years ago i got a scholarship from France and lived in Paris and finished my studies . During my studies i got contact with my German girlfriend and now we want to get married as she was afraid of my country situation. Last november i came to germany and i did asylum now when we went to marriage office they said u must wait at least 2 years to know if u can get married or not… i dnt have work permit no travel permit just as a prisinor at this countryvi speak very well german still dnt know what to do ? Plz let me know that will be so kind of u

That’s a misinformation. You can get married anytime you want. If that particular municipality in Germany doesn’t allow you to get married, just go to another one. Or you get married in France or in Denmark.

Hi Andreas,
I would like to thank you for your answers
I have a question .please clarify.
My husband is a Indian and He living here since 2007 Sep in aufthenhalt
Baby born on Jan 2015. Is it my daughter eligible for German Citizenship?
Thanks in advance for your reply.

Hello Andreas
I am living for 6 years in Germany with Aufenthaltserlaubnis#16 as a student permit. I got my PhD in one of the universities in Germany. Now I have a Aufenthaltserlaubnis#18. I have also B1 certificate. After my PhD I’m working as a wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft in university. But the salary is not high. It is like part time job, but covers the costs of my living somehow. I’ve already paid tax and social insurance for one year. Am I eligible for German citizenship?

Hello Andreas,
My mother recently became a German by naturalization. I want to know whether that entitles me to automatic citizenship, im in my late 20s. Will age be a factor in determining my illegibility.

Hello Andreas,
Thanks for the very straightforward and informative post.

I am Iranian, and I have been living in Germany for over three years now. I came here with my current employer for a job in the HQ w and I received a “unbefristete niederlassungserlaubnis”. over the last three years i have settled down, never had any criminal records and paid all my taxes in time!!! Right now I am offered a new opportunity with the same company in a different country!

I was told, after 6 months of leaving Germany of residence visa will not be valid anymore. is that right? is there a way that I can apply for a German passport, or at least keep my residence visa valid?
Thanks,
Yasaman

if you know already for how long your foreign posting will take, you can ask the Ausländeramt for permission to leave for longer without your residence status becoming void. But if it’s an open-ended assignment, that is not a possibility.

For the German citizenship, you usually need at least 6 years of residence, so it’s too early to apply. However, the three years you already spent there can be counted if you return later (§ 12b II StAG), so that you won’t need to start from zero.

I’m hoping you can shed some light on recent conversations within my family related to German re-naturalization and whether it’s applicable to my father.

My father was born in Vienna in 1935, to a German born father and Austro-Hungarian born mother. His father served in the German army in WWI and received an Eiserne Kreuz for his service. Both of my father’s parents had German passports (issued in 1934 and 1936). The family left Vienna for their own safety in 1938 using those passports to initially reach England and then later to enter the United States. On entry to the United States they were classified as German according to an immigration identification card that my father has. Eventually the family became US citizens.

Before digging too deeply into the re-naturalization process, I am hoping to understand how my father was/is classified by the German government. Was his birthplace (Vienna) the defining factor in his citizenship? Or, was his father’s birthplace and German citizenship the defining factor?

If you are aware of any precedent or documentation on German and Austrian citizenship that would help us, we’d all greatly appreciate the advice.

Hello David,
for your father, the citizenship of his father would have been the defining and only factor. German citizenship law had no ius soli component until 2000, meaning that citizenship at birth could only be acquired from the parents (and before 1975, only from the father).

Thanks again for your earlier reply to my question. I have prepared an application for renaturalization for myself, along with a number of documents supporting my grandfather’s and father’s original German citizenship. In the process, I’ve found myself wondering about the ramifications of being granted German renaturalization under Article 116. If citizenship is granted for me, or for my children (both under 16), what impact does that have on our existing US citizenship. Is dual citizenship supported in these cases or is there an obligation to choose between German and US?

I am planning to apply for citizenship under § 14 StAG since my mother remains a German citizen and I was born prior to 1975. I have just passed my C1 examination. I have some of the other requirements.

From what you have written it takes a long time to obtain German citizenship via § 14 StAG. What is your experience of the average time from application to approval?

I am in the fortunate position of having multiple options for moving to Germany and obtaining citizenship including coming on an academic research scholarship or exchange, enrolling in a German university, working in Germany with a Blue Visa or simply moving to Germany and working elsewhere on short term contracts – though, of course I have to be successful in actually obtaining these scholarships or jobs. Are all of these options of equivalent value in demonstrating a connection to Germany? The second issue is the timing of my application. Should I wait to apply until I have a definite job offer/contract or have enrolled in an German university, for example? Or, if I am already in Germany, does this prevent me from applying on the basis of my mother’s citizenship since I am no longer outside Germany? Proving the ability to support myself should not be a problem.

I am happy to engage your services to assist me, if you are still doing this work, but I thought I should post these questions in case they help other people.

the naturalization from abroad seems to take between 1 and 2 years in most cases, mainly due to a large number of applications and limited capacities.

But you spotted the problem:
You are in a bit of a bind because you have several routes to German citizenship, but it’s hard to pursue all of them at the same time, at least without lying or hiding certain information. We have to consider that § 14 StAG was never intended for these cases, so its application on children born to German mothers to rectify past injustice is already a stretch. § 14 StAG explicitly applies only to people applying for naturalization from outside of Germany, and the administration cannot circumvent this explicit statutory requirement.
Therefore, you would need to apply from your country of residence. If you move to Germany afterwards, the Bundesverwaltungsamt would not find out about it because it’s not involved in visa decisions, but there is a potential risk if they ever ask you for updated financial information or an employment contract and you can’t provide anything that would show that you still live in your original country of residence.

Your other option is to move to Germany through one of the ways you outlined and then apply for naturalization there. But then you can’t use § 14 StAG anymore and you would need to go through the normal naturalization process (living in Germany for 6 years and giving up your primary citizenship; with some exceptions for the latter).

Ultimately, my advice would depend on what your plans in life are, how much time you have and how attached you are to your primary citizenship.

Hello Andreas,
I am currently finishing my year as an Au Pair in Bavaria Germany, My Opa was born in Munich in1929 and my Oma in Saxon in 1934 . They fled to California after 1959 to start a new life because my Opa was being blackmailed into war. THey received their U.S citizenships in 1967.My Opa’s Sisters and are still alive living in Bavaria and my second cousins as well. I am interested in a German Citizenship but only if i can keep my American one i read on another blog if your grandparents fled in between certain years then I can use naturalization.
Thank you for your time and this helpful blog,
Chloe

Dear Andreas,
Thanks a ton to write such a useful blog.Your blog is really very helpful
Could you please tell me if my stay period in other EU countries (2 years in Greece and 1 year in Ireland) will be counted for German citizenship application? I am indian citizen and living in Germany since 4 years. I have a Niederlassungerlaubnis since 2012( 3 years). I am Engineer and have PhD degree from Singapore. am I eligible to apply German citizenship now as I complted 7 years in EU (including Greece/Ireland)?

Hello Andreas,
This blog is excellent, thank you very much.
My husband and I have been working in Germany for 2.5 years. Due to our low salaries and high rent, we would like to apply for Bonuscard, Wohngeld or social housing. Both of us have EU passports but we hope that we can also get the German Citizenship after 6-8 years.
If we claim the above-mentioned benefits, will we fail to obtain the German Citizenship even both of us have a job?

Thanks again for your earlier reply to my question. I have prepared an application for renaturalization for myself, along with a number of documents supporting my grandfather’s and father’s original German citizenship. In the process, I’ve found myself wondering about the ramifications of being granted German renaturalization under Article 116. If citizenship is granted for me, or for my children (both under 16), what impact does that have on our existing US citizenship. Is dual citizenship supported in these cases or is there an obligation to choose between German and US?

Because of the number of questions on Art. 116 GG, I have actually been thinking of setting up a separate list of FAQ which will answer your question. I will do that as soon as someone mails me one of the books from my wishlist in order to do so.

Thanks Andreas. I just shipped you three of your books via Amazon. Looks like it may take awhile to get the shipment. If I receive any useful tracking info, I’m happy to pass that along. Do you want me to post the order information here, or is there some other way I can pass that along?

hi andreas,
me and wife live in germany for 12 years now, and we don’t have any documents here, but we have born 2 kids, my son is now 8 years old and my daughter is 2 months old. we are applying for a residence permit. is that possible to get a permit here because of our kids?
thank you:)

I wonder if you can help. My wife’s Grandmother was a German national who married a UK citizen in 1951 and came to live in UK where my wife’s father was born. There is no record that she ever gave up her German citizenship, i.e. no record of naturalization in UK. I am presuming correctly that my Father-in-law was/is a dual citizen even if he does not realise it?

If it were possible I wanted our children to have the right to claim German citizenship, especially if UK votes to leave the EU. I thought this was impossible due to her being descended through the female line. Does merely having a German Grandparent now qualify under the close ties clause? If my wife could claim, could she then pass it on to our children?

Unfortunately, the grandmother didn’t pass on German citizenship to the father because until 1975 only German fathers could do so. Your wife’s father is the one who could apply for naturalization, but this exception does not extend to the next generation.

For the “close ties” naturalization, we would really need very close ties, like fluency in German, attendance of German schools and cultural events, and so on.

As someone who loves the UK (I lived there for 2 years) and loves the European Union (I have lived in 6 different EU countries), I really hope the UK won’t leave. As a lawyer however, it would mean work for years to come. :-)
If your children speak German, they can of course always apply to German universities for example, irrespective of the UK’s EU membership. One big advantage is that German universities don’t charge any tuition fees for the first degree and only very small fees for subsequent degrees.

Thanks for this very informative page. I was wondering which B1 certificates are accepted by the Ausländerhörde. I attend a German course at the University of Heidelberg at the end of which they provide a certificate but it seems there is no standardised test at the end of the course. Do you think such a certificate is enough or does one have to take one from the Göethe institut or so?

I have actually long wanted to set up a separate list of FAQ on language requirements for immigration and naturalization in Germany because there are so many rules, exceptions and possibilities. I will do this as soon as someone mails me one of the books from my wishlist.

My father has a german passport . He got the passport when I was around 6 years old . He used to go a lot and had some business in Germany
I’ve had a visa ever since and used to visit germany many times and never lived there . But now I’m 27 years old and I still have an open residency visa but we don’t live in Germany and I don’t know to speak the german language .
My question can I still apply to the german passport even if I do not want to live in Germany ?
I can prove that I do not need the nationality for the welfare etc.

No. There is no chance for naturalization in Germany from abroad unless you speak fluent German.

And once you have German citizenship, you can more there anytime and under any condition, so regardless of your claim, Germany would be worried about your financial status. (Hence also the requirement to speak fluent German because that would of course make it easier to find a job.)

I am Aleksandra, I am 22 years old and I am from Macedonia (FYROM).
I have worked in Germany as student in a factory for making jams, kompot, baby food and other.
I had worked in 2014 and 2015 only for summer season.
I have met a boy, and we fall in love. He was this winter here in Macedonia.
My boyfriend is German and we are planing marriage for this summer 2016 in Germany.
If I have a baby with him is there faster way to get citizenship in the years?

So lets say that we are married. We are planing to get married this year,this summer in Deutschland, not in Macedonia. I don’t know what kind of paper is required in Deutschland, my boyfriend is searching for the papers at the moment.
Here in Macedonia is complicated. We think is better in Deutschland.

I have heard from a friend, that if you have child you could get citizenship faster?
I don’t know what she meant with that, is this true?

Because I have my studies here in Macedonia, I can’t live now in Deutschland. But every summer I go there.

No, the child has no influence on your citizenship. The child however will receive German citizenship at birth if the father is German, regardless of whether the child will be born in Germany or Macedonia.

If you won’t live in Germany, it will be very hard to get German citizenship. (You would need to speak fluent German and establish many long-lasting ties to Germany. This is a process that takes years and dedication.) Particularly if your boyfriend/husband will live in Germany, the whole thing will look rather suspicious, which won’t make it easier.

Hello sir, I lived in Italy since 2011 and I have a normal 2 years residental visa, and my question is , my uncle lived in Germany since 1981 , he have german passport and own restaurant , he want to me work with him toghther , how can that passibal?? Thanks sir

My mother’s mom was born in German, and she came to South Africa and she got pregnant my mom.
The she abandoned my mother to a black family
Of which my mom has suffered a lot and she end up marrying a black man who was very abusive to her. Then she was rescue by a white family from that marriage. They help her to divorce my father. We also suffered a lot. Now I am requesting to any one who can help me to find my mother’s siblings…
Which they r in German

Hi Andreas!
i am living in Germany and married from a German citizen, i have recently my permanent residence, i have B1 and passed the integration course,but i still have no work yet,i was spending from saved money i have, i took nothing from social security system, and when i applied for my permanent residence my wife presented her work documents to prove that she is supporting me financially, so my question is , can my wife still use her financial support to make me able to apply for the citizenship?

thanks for your fast reply, she earns more than 2000 Euro per month net in hand, and for me i am graduated in university (not in Europe), i studied Accounting and now i am starting self study in programming languages.

Thanks for great work here!:) I have actually 2 questions: 1) I live in Germany since 5 years. Now Im thinking about moving abroad for 2 years. Does it mean that after my return I have to wait again 8 years to be able to apply for German Citizenship, or can that be somehow combined, meaning that I would have to wait 3 years?
2) few days ago my son was born and I was wondering if he does have any right for German Citizenship. Mostly its written that child of NonGerman parents can get German nationality automatically if parents are living at least for 8 years in Germany, but I found 2 pages when it was written, that it can be 3 years if rhis time is uninterrupted. Would be glad for your comment:) marek

Such an interesting thread… I’m really excited to learn that I may qualify for German citizenship… I didn’t know about this new development you mentioned. But… not sure exactly what I’d have to provide to prove “unbroken German citizenship” through my mother’s lineage…

Here’s the story: my mother’s maternal grandmother was born in Germany and came to the US as a child. So does that make my maternal grandmother, my mother, and myself German citizens? I was born before 1975, can probably pass the German test, etc… What documents would I need to prove “unbroken German citizenship”?

The problem is that this is the maternal line which couldn’t pass on German citizenship before 1975 (unless the next generation was born out of wedlock). It sounds like the line would have stopped with your grandmother already.

If my mother were to claim her dual citizenship (born in America to an American mother and German father) but my grandfather later applied for U.S citizenship having to give up his German citizenship would I be able to claim dual citizenship? As we have close ties with Germany being my grandfather was the only one to leave Germany in his family to go to any other country and I am about to spend a month in Germany!

My mother was born in the U.S in 1970. I was born in the U.S in 1997. My mother moved to Germany at 4 years old and then my grandparents never bothered to claim her citizenship because they knew they were moving back (my aunt was born in America but then they had my uncle in Germany at the period they were living there, although he would be a close tie, he passed away in 2006 but was a U.S Navy Veteran). My grandfather received his U.S citizenship in 2005. He was a dual citizen but when he called the German Consulate in Chicago and asked about renewing his passport and a few other things the woman apparently snapped at him and claimed he was now no longer a German, now he is a full American citizen I suppose even though they never truly made him renounce his citizenship of Germany. But my mom would be entitled to her citizenship due to citizenship at the time of her birth? I was born in the U.S in 1997 to an American father and my mother who is American but possibly a dual citizen!

Thanks so much for the info. I heard that you could get citizenship if you had the blood, and was really excited because I would like to ask for political asylum. I have an extensive criminal record in the u.s. and am sick of not being able to find decent work or housing because I am an addict. Do you know how it would work in this circumstance? I will apologize now because I’m a broke bitch. I have no money….😫

hello andreas
my grand parents were indian, my father born in india after years my father went to germany and lived there for almost 30 years and had german passport and citizenship and was on pension from german government, my father passed away a year back. my mom is indian and i also born in india, never went to german. can i get german citizenship? i’m 26 now

Hi Andreas,
I am married to a German National for two years now and we live in Cape Town, South Africa. What are my rights as a South Africa to go an work in German if my wife wants to stay in Cape Town, while I go and start work and set up house? She was born in Germany although been living in South Africa for several years.

Would she have to move to Germany if I wanted to work and live there?
What is the period of time to be married that I can apply or have any rights to apply to live an work there while living out of Germany, noticed 3-8 years for naturalisation?

Hi Andreas I was born in a British Military Hospital in Hannover in the 50’s at the time of my birth my parents were married BUT my mother was still a German citizen until later in the marriage when she was Naturilized English can I claim German Citizenship ?

Hallo Andreas – My question is can I obtain a German passport using the following details:
Mother born in Breslau 1923 to German parents (I have records going back a hundred years for grandparents, etc.).
Father born in UK 1917 (unable to verify Irish grandfather otherwise would have gone for this easier route).
Mum and dad married in the Propsteikirche Herz Jesu, Luebeck, 1948. I assume mum was a German national until marriage.
I was born in Wales, UK 1949 with mum and dad living in England. Mum still alive and living in England but many German relatives including a half-brother.
Can I negotiate the tortuous German bureaucracy / paperwork to get a German Reisepass as UK Brexit has really rattled my cage.
Auf Wiederhören, Ingo R

Hello Ingo,
unfortunately your mother lost her German citizenship when she married a foreigner. This law was in effect until 23 May 1949 (and until 31 March 1953 if the German wife had another citizenship).
Your mother could apply for re-naturalization as a German citizen, but this would not extend to you.

Hi,
My partner is German and has been in the UK for nearly 15 years, we have lived together for 10 years. 4 years ago we adopted a child (now 9) who has a British passport. What are the chances of us all getting dual passports. We intend to live in the UK for the next couple of years but would like the option to move to Germany once our child is 11 (senior school). I studied in Germany (20 years ago) and speak very good German to degree level and our child is bilingual. We regularly visit family on my partners side in Germany. Any information greatly appreciated.

Your child automatically acquired German citizenship when it was adopted by a German parent (§ 6 StAG) if the adoption is recognized by Germany. If the adoption was carried out in the UK and according to UK laws, that shouldn’t be a problem.
This acquisition of German citizenship is an automatic consequence which did not require any application or registration. However, in order to obtain a German passport for your child, the German Consulate may ask you to apply for a certificate of German citizenship for your child first. With your partner’s proof of German citizenship (at the time of the adoption) and the adoption paperwork, that shouldn’t be a problem.

For you however, it’s much harder. § 14 StAG opens the possibility of applying for naturalization as a German citizen while living abroad, but it requires very close ties to Germany. You would need ongoing academic, professional, business and/or family ties and even then the application would be up to discretion and you would therefore need to present a compelling case. Unless you have very exceptional circumstances, I would advise against wasting time and money on this.
But of course you can always move to Germany together. As the mother of a German child, you will be entitled to a residence and work permit (§ 28 I AufenthG), irrespective of EU freedom of movement rights. And then you could apply for naturalization in Germany after 3 years (if you get married or have a registered partnership) or after 6 years of residence.

Hello Andreas,
Excellent blog and I hope you are enjoying yout travels!
I’m looking for some clarification regarding § 14 StAG and your FAQ 8.
I am a UK citizen, born in the UK, to a German mother and a UK father (married), before 1975. I live in the UK.
1. My understanding is that I could therefore apply for naturalisation under § 14 StAG.
2. However, does this mean that my language requirement is C1, or could I apply with B2?
3. Am I required to show further links to Germany or is born to a German mother ‘sufficient’?
4. In reality, given this is discretionary, have you any idea of the success rate of naturalisation applications under the ‘German mother clause’?
5. Are you aware of any impending change to this rule? It seems very strange that the children of German fathers and German mothers are still treated so differently.

Thanks for writing this excellent post which answered a few questions that the Nationality Act PDF did not!
My question is this, if you might have a couple of minutes to consider it: my British parents worked in Germany and thus my home was in Germany from ages 8-18 years old. I attended a European School there for ~5 of those years (non-consecutive, the rest in UK boarding schools). When not at school, I still lived in Germany in the holidays and thus speak very good German. Do I have any hope of obtaining “discretionary naturalization […] with sufficient ties to Germany” – I understand as long as the UK is still an EU member country (the clock may be ticking!) then I do not need to surrender my UK citizenship if I am successful. I took 30 questions of the German citizenship test you linked above and scored 26/30 with no revision on German state/laws. :-)

Hello Andreas! I recently came to the knowledge of § 14 StAG, and it applies perfectly to me as I was born on 1963 to a german mother and non-german father. The question is, I have two children, one of them being 21 y.o. and the other 15 y.o. Could both of them become german with me?

My daughter is in Germany but my wife is a German national but she divorced me in Germany but I’m still married in the US but I want to become German citizen how do I and my great great grandparents were from Germany

I would need to know your exact family history from your German ancestors to you. Please send me an e-mail at moser@moser-law.com. I charge 200 EUR for such a consultation. It will cover German citizenship by ancestry and by naturalization.

I was born in Stuttgart, Germany in 19 September 1989. My parents moved to Turkey in 1992 after they have lived and worked in Stuttgart at least for a decade. (I do not know surely how many years they lived in Germany before marriage and after their marriage, but I can easily learn this information.) So I have lived in Turkey since 1992. Both of them are Turkish origin and have only Turkish citizenship.
As I just learned, German citizenship policy enables German citizenship for someone who was born in Germany although the parents are not German citizen. In addition, as I learned that persons acquiring German citizenship on the basis of birth in Germany (without a German parent) lose German citizenship automatically at age 23 if they have not successfully applied to retain German citizenship. However, I did not know that I have this kind of a right for the German citizenship and I also just learned that the application for the citizenship should be done before the age 23. Lastly, I talked Foreigners’ Office in Stuttgart about this issue, according to their feedback, this law is valid for only person who was born after 01.01.1990, so they told me I cannot apply for the citizenship by based on being born in Germany. (I guess they mean Section 4)
So I want to take your advice about can I apply for German citizenship or because I am older than 23 years old now, can I make an objection for applying to German citizenship?
I will be really appreciate if you can inform me about that am I eligible for applying German citizenship or making an objection is an option to apply for the citizenship, and it will be great if you have any advice about this issue.

Hi
I am Indian guy, I am living in Germany from 2007. I did my MSc in Germany (2009) and I got my PhD also in Germany (2015). Now I am working as a PostDoc. But I never paid Tax and so, because for my PhD and now for Post Doc I am getting stipend only. In October 2016 I will finish 9 years of living in Germany. I have A1 level German certificate. What is the possibility for me to get PR or citizenship? Thanks.

Andreas,
I am American born of German descent. Father’s side is Künstler, Mutter is Schaeffer. I am 95% pure German per DNA testing. My Father’s ancestors came circa WWI, my Mother’s much sooner like mid to late 1800’s. Point being I have second cousins in Germany (Hamburg area) and for some reason my desire to be there is strong. We were raised to be very proud of our Duestch ancestry and spoke only Duestch until about kindergarten age (5). Now I understand but sadly speak little. It’s embarrassing. Do I honestly have any chance of being able to live in my ancestral homeland?

Well, you have a chance of living in Germany because you don’t need citizenship for that.
As for citizenship, it depends on the exact line from your father’s side to you (your mother’s side came too early to have a realistic chance). The naturalization would require fluency in German and more close ties, so citizenship by descent is your only realistic option. If you e-mail me a detailed account of your family tree since your parental ancestors came from Germany, I can look into it. But I do charge 150 EUR for such a consultation.

I should add that these DNA tests are bogus. There are 80 million Germans in Germany alone and the DNA varies widely (luckily, for anything else would be dangerous). As a German, I may very well have DNA that matches that of a French or Austrian or Polish guy more closely than that of my German neighbors and friends.

Dear Andreas Moser,
I am half German from mother’s side. I was born in 1970. I have not been to Germany since 2004. Before then I spent my summer months since I was a baby in Germany. I can speak the language fairly well. It was actually my native language. I was born in America. My mother was not an American citizen yet when I was born . I’m not aware if she has dual citizenship but she is collecting social security from Germany in America . From what I have read and understood from a lady I know who worked for the German consulate in Houston Texas I have dual citizenship even though I have not officially applied for it. It is near impossible to get in contact with consulate Houston . I’m in California now. I’m in an emergency and danger from levels of government. I have not been charged with anything or committed any criminal acts. My young daughter 9 years old is in iminant danger. I was a victim of severe governmental abuse in a manner that hurts me , my freedom and human rights. There is no agency , organization and government that can protect my daughter and I . It is a nationwide scandal that has happened to thousands . Out of all the organizations and media I am so far the one that has proof of all angles. The government , civil and criminal know this. They don’t know exactly what I have though. I have been threatened to keep silent . Can I get immediate established citizenship along with my minor child in Germany from an Embassy in America? Is that possible?

Right now I am Master student in Germany from India. Here I want to marry with one girl, she is on refugee status in Germany, before 3 years she came in Germany. Once I will get Blue card and marry with her in Germany, Is it possible that I can convert her refugee status into legal dependency visa ? or I have to wait till getting permanent visa of Germany to convert her refugee status into a legal residence permit.

Dear Andreas,
Many thanks for your very helpful blog and answers to the multiple questions above. I wonder if you can have a quick say for my case:
– I have been married to a German for 7 years,
– Lived in Germany for more than 3 years and acquired B1 certificate, integration course certificate, and permanent residency status,
– Never received any social welfare from Germany
– Highly educated, self-sustained, no criminal record
I think I fulfilled all the requirements to apply for naturalization. However, my husband and I havent lived in Germany for the last two years (we’re currently working abroad). And my husband hadnt live in Germany for 10 years in total and therefore didnt have much tax pay in.
Would you think I have a good chance of acquiring a German citizen? Thank you very much in advance.
Ivy.

First of all thank you very much for your interesting website and informative posts. I would like to kindly ask you a question. I am living since 01.11.2010 in Germany, firstly as a student and then as employee. I have the B2 German language certificate and already passed the Einbürgerungstest. The only problem is that I deregistered myself from 01.10.2011 to 30.12.2011 (actually for less than three months) because of a short travel to another country (Although I had also the aufenthaltserlaubnis during this gap too).

– Could you please let me know that am I allowed to apply for the German citizenship after six year?
– Could the gap which was less that three months be a problem for this application (although I had the residence permit during these months)?
– When can I apply for the naturalization? Should these three months added to this six-year? Or maybe I could apply in this November?

Thank you for your donation, but 10 $ really is a bit cheap for top-notch legal advice. I would recommend something around 50 $, or I can of course return your donation. After all, I have a 100% money-back guarantee.

This is a great post! I will seek your (paid) professional advice for my rather complicated situation soon (I will have a residence and spouse in Germany, but will live in France on a special visa… it’s a long story).

In the meantime, I was wondering if you might answer a simple question. In New Zealand you cannot give up citizenship unless you are a citizen of another country. I am only a citizen of NZ. Is this a sufficient reason for Germany to accept dual citizenship under section 12? Or can they demand that you give up NZ citizenship AFTER being granted German citizenship?

The case you describe with New Zealand is actually the norm with most countries because they try to avoid statelessness. Germany therefore provides naturalization under the condition that you will waive your New Zealand citizenship, with the latter becoming effective once you obtain German citizenship. In case you should not obtain German citizenship, your waiver of New Zealand citizenship never enters into effect.
You should and would not be left stateless for even a second in this process. (Unless your country of citizenship ceases to exist, of course.)

Thanks very much for your response! Sorry for the delay, I only just saw it when I looked at your site again. For some reason WordPress did not notify me of it (although I did receive notifications for other comments, strangely).

If you don’t mind a follow up question… do you mean that countries such as NZ have a process whereby citizenship would be automatically renounced once German citizenship was gained? Or do you mean that I would have to go and renounce NZ citizenship via the usual process after gaining German citizenship? In the latter case, do the German authorities actually follow up and ask for proof that NZ citizenship has been subsequently renounced?

Hi,
iam living in Germany since 2 years holding a blue card resident permission, and now iam going to apply for the permanent resident permission. after i get it its very likely that i will travel to the middle east and work there, so my question is ( is it possible to still apply for the German citizenship after 5 years of working outside Germany ( ist necessary to keep paying the German tax while iam working and living outside Germany, – i can visit Germany every 6 months if its needed).
by the way i have met the criteria of language skill.

Hi,
iam living in Germany since 2 years holding a blue card resident permission, and now iam going to apply for the permanent resident permission. after i get it its very likely that i will travel to the middle east and work there, so my question is ( is it possible to still apply for the German citizenship after 5 years of working outside Germany ( ist necessary to keep paying the German tax while iam working and living outside Germany, – i can visit Germany every 6 months if its needed).
by the way i have met the criteria of language skill.

I am a natural born Filipino and living here in the Philippines my entire life. My father is a natural German citizen who passed away 23rd of August this year.

Unfortunately, My father was not able to sign my birth certificate which somehow will be a solid proof to obtain my German citizenship. By any chances, am I still eligible to apply for my German citizenship even I am already 27 years old? I have my step brother and sister in Germany who can testify my claim and also bulk of pictures of my father and I when he was here in the Philippines.

I was Born in Germany 1950 (Bremen) by a Germán Mother, Father of German origin (Donauschwaben) born 1911 in Chestelek, at the time Part of the Austrohungaria Kigdom.
My parents arriwed in Venezuela in 1950 (Father) and 1951 (Mother and me).
Can I apply for a German citienship?
Born in Germany, German Mother, Father of German ancestors….

Hi, I was born in Germany 1943 both parents German.. My mother divorced and remarried in England in 1951. I came to England 1953 and lived in England since. I was nationalized in 1962 but as far as I know dual nationality.. I now wish to apply for German passport. They say may have a problem. And I should apply for citizenship. then it may still not be granted. Do not understand as I am German of German parents.. Is it because I have left it so long..I travel to Germany at least twice a year, have family there… please help.. christa

I am 21 years old and I have lived in Germany for 7 years now. The last 3 years I spent in Holland, doing a bachelors degree, whilst being officially registered in Germany still. Therefore this does not affect my naturalization. I am aware that you can leave Germany for up to 6 months without it affecting your chances to get citizenship by naturalization. I can apply for citizenship early next year. However, within these six months, are you allowed to work in a different country and be registered there? For example, would I be able to work in Holland where I studied, for six months whilst my application is being processed?? Please enlighten me, somehow I cannot find these rules anywhere.

You may be mistaken that your three years in the Netherlands don’t affect your residence time. Being officially registered without living in Germany is of course not sufficient. That would be a bit too easy, wouldn’t it? If you haven’t paid social security contributions and taxes in Germany in these years, it would raise curiosity anyway. And if you attempt to pretend that you lived in Germany without having done so, that makes it a fraudulent application.

Hi Andreas. My daughter is 13 yrs old and was born in Germany while I was working there on a work permit. Both I and my wife are Indian citizens and live in India. My daughter has cleared A1 level Fit in Deutsch exam. How can she acquire German citizenship.